


Like Real People Do

by dnawhite76, Prubbs



Category: Marvel Comics - Fandom
Genre: AU, Cancer, High School, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-08-17
Updated: 2015-08-17
Packaged: 2018-04-15 04:53:32
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 22,988
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4593564
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dnawhite76/pseuds/dnawhite76, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Prubbs/pseuds/Prubbs
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Wade was coming to terms with the bounty that death had put on his head until Peter crashed his way into his life and messed up his 'burn bright, die young,' acceptance of living with skin that was trying to kill him. </p>
<p>A story about teenagers, cancer, acceptance and pugs.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Like Real People Do

**Author's Note:**

> Very personal story to me written over a very long period of time with a very patient friend. Named after the song Like Real People Do by Hoizer. Enjoy!

Blue eyes blinked in the mirror staring intently into him. He looked pretty much like he always did. Dark jeans worn till he had holes in the knees, plain grey long sleeve shirt and old chucks. His eyes were the same color they had always been and his skin didn't look like it was trying to kill him like all of the doctors kept tripping over themselves to say. The only thing that gave away the cancer coursing through him was the clump of hair in his hand that had brushed so easily out of his head that you would have thought it was never attached. He pursed his lips. This was the first clump. 

When the doctors talked him through the chemo process they had told him that it would start falling out that way, but he hadn't really believed them. But there it was staring up at him as the inevitable proof that he was slowly dying in little pieces every day. He walked out of the room and fumbled his way down the stairs to the great entryway that lead to a small hallway that took him to his father's den. "Dad?" he knocked on the door before opening it but he wasn't there, the computer long since gone to sleep in his absence. He had through that him getting sick would make his father start telling him before he wondered off but he should know better than to hope for the impossible. He rolled his eyes and made his way back upstairs, pushing into his father's room and looking through his cabinets until he found the box he was looking for. He paused at the mirror again and frown at his thinning hair before he plugged in the clippers and ran them across the top of his head.   
\- -   
"There's something different about you..." The man in the white coat smirked as he walked into his room. They had most of the cancer kids do their chemo together a little further down the hall but Wade, at seventeen, was the oldest by years so Doctor Parker thought it would be a good idea to give him his own space. 

Wade liked Dr. Parker. He wasn't like the other pediatric quacks that were always trying to dumb everything down. He told him exactly what he asked and nothing more. That was all he needed. He grinned at the man hitting pause in his game, "I have no idea what you're talking about," he told him easily stretching the stiffness out of his back, his hand running over the fuzz on top of his head. It still felt weird having all those blond tuffs gone but there was no more freeing experience. 

"You look great." Dr. Parker told him pulling his charts up from off the bed and calling the nurse in. He unpaused his game knowing that he only had to be half aware at this point. "How have you been feeling?" He asked putting his Doctor voice back on.

Wade shrugged. "A little weak. My jaw keeps tightening up at random times and I'm sore. But otherwise good." He heard the scribbling but focused in killing the knight jumping between paintings. He hated this battle. 

"Last time we lowered the chemical dosage but this time..." he dared glanced up. "We'll raise it about ten percent and see how you feel."

He nodded, "Lay it on me doc."

He threw up four times. He didn't count the fifth because there wasn't anything left in his stomach and he swore he would never eat Chinese food again. The nurse helped him sit back after spending a good fifteen minutes dry heaving when he noticed a kid his age at the door. "Hey." He said weakly coughing and the nurse gave him a stupid cartoon cup of water. "The food here sucks." He told him with a laugh. 

The boy looked so wide eyed he wasn't sure if he was a patient here or a visitor. But when he spoke he spoke to the nurse. "Have you seen my dad?" He asked and she nodded rushing him out the door but not before wade could smirk and wave at him before he fell asleep completely exhausted.  
\- -   
"You did what?"

Peter shrugged. "It seemed like fun." 

His dad pinched his nose where the indention from the glasses he'd set on the desk were. "Why?" He shrugged again. He knew his ultimate goal and it seemed to be working, but it really had looked like fun. "For how long?" 

He shrugged. Again. "2 months." 

His dad leaned against his desk. "You were suspended for two months and they didn't call me?" He shrugged. They had. But the school hadn't been able to reach him. He shoved his hands down in his hoodie. "Does your mother know about this?" he shook his head. She was on lockdown for one of the viruses her team was working on. He hadn't seen her in days. This was the first time he'd seen his dad in almost a week. 

"I need you to sign this or I'll be expelled." he slid over the rolled paper. His hands sliding back into the big front pocket.

His dad scribbled across it. "You aren't going to be having a vacation." his dad warned. He snatched the paper and walked out. "I'm serious Peter." he waved. Like he'd even be home to see what he did.   
\- -   
"Books?" he offered pushing the cart in the room. "Magazine?" Peter adjusted the ridiculous uniform. The old couple shook their heads and he pulled it out. He hadn't thought his dad had it in him to arrange a job for him. Not that being a candy striper was a job. He pushed a cart of books around. Most of the time old ladies stopped him and told him how much he reminded them of their grandson. Once an old man talked to him for three hours about the war. At the end he called him Harold and got teary eyed. He had slipped out telling the old man he'd be back the next day. He didn't go back. 

He pulled off the hat when his shift ended. "I'm leaving," he said popping his head in the room he was told his dad was in. 

"Hold on a second." Peter stopped and leaned against the doorframe. 

It was the same guy he had seen the other day. "Food still shit?" he asked. 

He got a pained smile in return. "It always is." 

His dad looked at the chart with a frown. "I think we'll raise the dosage." He saw the small nod. "Peter this is Wade. Wade, Peter, my son." 

Peter gave a two finger salute. "Can I go?" 

His dad looked up at him. "I have one more patient then we will head home." 

He huffed. He was going to complain, but he was suddenly aware of the eyes on him. "Fine. I'm going to go wait in the car." 

His dad grabbed his arm. "Why don't you talk to him?" he whispered. 

Peter glanced over. "Whatever." His dad stepped out. "How long?" 

He saw the surprise. "Depends on the chemo." 

Peter nodded. "How long have you been here? My dad doesn't normally work with," he gestured at him. The oldest patient he'd seen was 11.

"A while." He looked out into the hall. "I heard you knocked over the statue of the founder of your school?" 

He smirked. "I didn't mean to." his dad was talking about him. Even if it was most likely a complaint, it was there. "I heard you snuck out of a locked ward. To steal jello." 

Peter caught the pain free smile. "The other kids enjoyed it." He couldn't help the smile. 

"Peter." 

He straightened. "Bye dude. See you tomorrow?" 

Wade nodded. "Feels like."   
\- -  
He dropped the tray of jello on his table. "How should we divide this up?" 

Wade blinked at him. He'd been asleep and he barely looked awake now. "What is that?" 

Peter held up a cup. "Swiped a whole tray. I don't think they'll notice." he ate one cup. "What color do you want?" he handed over the red one he'd pointed to. "Any brats?" Wade shook his head. Eyes closing. "How about kids that need it the most?" 

Wade opened his eyes. "All of them. But Lucas is doing really bad." 

He nodded. "Badass Lucas here I come. I'm gonna leave this here. Don't let anyone steal it." he grabbed as many as he could carry and set off for the other rooms on the floor. Lucas was three. He hadn't expected that. His mom was sitting by his side. She took the cup with a small smile. He watched from the doorway as the boy ate it slowly and didn't even finish. He distributed the rest in his hands. "Cancer is fucked up," he mumbled sitting down. 

"Tell me about it." he sat for a few minutes watching the muted tv. Peter had delivered the rest and had eaten two more cups before he was caught by a nurse. He handed over the half gone tray without a fight. He leaned back and watched. 

His dad shook his shoulder a few hours later. He jolted up. "Time to go." 

He nodded. "Later." Wade just stared at him.   
\- -  
"What are you watching today?" He fell down into the chair. 

Wade was awake when he walked in. A good sign. He always took open eyes as something that indicated health. "Game show." 

Peter kicked his shoes off and propped his feet up on the edge of his bed. "Sounds fun." he closed his eyes. "Wake me up when it gets interesting." 

He had drifted halfway to sleep when Wade spoke. "They are only 12 points away from winning. You might want to watch this." he could hear the sarcasm. He cracked open one eye. "That is an awful answer. He's not going to make it." 

"What is this?" Peter asked rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. 

"A trivia show." Wade told him and dove into explaining the rules after the beast caught up with the other two guy. 

Peter looked at him wearily as he cursed sad for the one guy who actually knew his shit on the opposing team. "How long have you been watching this?" He asked.

Wade shrugged. "My gameboy died." Peter hummed in understanding and watched the next episode with him, it didn't take long for him to get frustrated. "The Delaware." Wade muttered cursing when the man chose the wrong answer. 

He could feel the eyes on him. "You're pretty good at this." Peter told him.

Wade shrugged. "I watch a lot of TV." He told him, "Help me get this down." He told him pushing at the side bar on his bed. 

Peter did and he slowly slung his feet over the side. "Uhh, what are you doing?" He asked watching Wade grab his drip bag and pull it around. 

"I’m hungry." He told him. It was kind of a big deal seeing as he hadn't been hungry in days. 

Peter pursed his lips. "Should you be walking around?" He asked.

Wade shrugged again. "No. You going to tell on me?" He asked with a grin and Peter smirked shaking his head.

The cafeteria was crowded but that was a good thing. It was harder to be found in a crowd and he didn't want to go back to his sick bed. He sat down while Peter went through the line for him wondering why he was wasting his time on a sick kid but he didn't ask. He just grinned when he set the disgusting looking chicken and mashed potatoes in front of him and said, "I made it just for you."

"You shouldn't have." Wade told him poking at the chicken for a minute before he gave up on trying to eat it and poked at his mashed potatoes. "Must suck." Wade said after a while of silence. 

"What?" Peter asked looking back from the people he had been watching. 

"Having you dad spend all his time with other kids." 

Peter looked surprised but frown. "It doesn't bother me." He said.

Wade shook his head eating a spoonful of potato. "Us cancer kids have a super power." he told him tapping the side of his head. "We can always tell when people are lying. And you sir are a miserable lair." Peter watched him now and he let him. He was used to people watching him after he shaved his head, he knew just like everyone else knew that he was dying. 

"How long?" Peter asked and Wade knew exactly what he was asking. 

"Maybe a year." He told him plainly. "They keep saying I could make it to five. But I feel it. It's why my old man won't bother with me anymore he just sees a body bag." He took another bite and looked up at him feeling playful despite the terrible conversation. "This is really disgusting by the way." He told him. Peter grinned at him. "If you insist on being around me then I demand that you get me eatable food." Wade told him.

The boy shrugged. "I'll see what I can do."  
\- -  
"You weren't here last week." Peter accused when he walked into the room. 

Wade put his book down and smiled. "I felt better last week." He told him. He had. They let him go home and he even got to see Eddie for a bit. Unfortunately he caught a cold and had to be checked right back in. Now they had him on a wire, tubes plugged into his nose to force the air in and out. 

"You look like hell." Peter told him plopping onto the chair next to the bed. 

"And you look gorgeous as always." Wade told him trying to sound bitter but he didn't really see the point. 

"At least you have something pretty to look at." Peter told him.

He laughed. "Whatever would I do without you?" He sighed. Leaning his bed back as Peter clicked on the tv.  
\- -  
"I know you hate it but please, wear the mask." Doctor Parker told him as he pulled on his chucks. They were letting him go home again after a brief two day stay but only if he promised to stay clean and keep on the little surgical mask the blocked off his mouth and nose from the dirty world. 

He pursed his lips and took the box of masks from him and pulled one on, looping the straps around his ears. The doctor smiles at him opening his mouth to say something but Peter's voice came out. "Now that's an improvement." He said pushing into the room with a grin. 

Wade laughed. "You should try it sometime." he winked at him, voice slightly muffled from the mask. 

"You headed out?" Peter asked with a frown.

Wade nodded, "Figured you were getting tired of me." He told him. 

Peter laughed. "I’m going too." He looked at his father to see if he would say no but he just worked on the chart nor saying anything. "Wanna hang out?" He asked.

Wade grinned. "In public? Scandalous." He teased standing up and Peter made a face at him. 

"Don't stay out too late." The Dr. Parker finally chimed in throwing a pointed look at Peter. "And be careful Wade. Please. Nothing too public. I don't want to see you until your next session." 

Wade nodded waving it off. "We can go back to my place. No contact with the outside world." He assured him and turned on Peter. "And no hand holding for you." He scolded him.

Peter pouted following after him. "But it’s my very favorite thing!" He whined and Wade laughed evilly.  
\- -  
"What are you doing?"

Peter looked up as he tied his shoes. "Going out." 

His dad frowned. "To Wades?" 

He shrugged. "Probably if he feels up to company." he could feel the disapproval directed at him. 

"I don't think it's a good idea." 

Peter tied his second shoe and stood up. "For me or for him?" 

His dad didn't answer right away. "15-20%." Peter stopped where he was stuffing stuff into his backpack. "Five years." he zipped up his bag. He'd looked it up. He knew that, but hearing it from his dad felt real. 

"Don't wait up," he mumbled brushing past his dad without looking at him.   
\- -  
"What's up with you?" Wade asked his voice muffled slightly by the mask. 

"Nothing." Peter focused on the game. He got caught by an uppercut and let the controller drop to his lap. 

"Liar." Wade accused with a muted laugh. 

He leaned back against the bed. "My dad decided to remind me that you have cancer today." he glanced back. Wade was looking at him, but he couldn't tell what expression he was wearing. "Want something to drink?" Peter asked. Wade shrugged and he climbed to his feet. 

He slid down the banister. "Let's see..." he mumbled to himself looking through the fridge that never seemed to empty. 

"Who are you?" Peter stopped and peaked over the door. An older man stood at the entrance to the kitchen. He looked vaguely like Wade. Didn't have his crazy blue eyes though.   
"Peter Parker." he replied grabbing the can and the bottle of juice Wade loved, even though it tasted like crap. He shut the door gave him a salute and headed back upstairs. "Your dad is home." he mumbled handing over the bottle. 

Wade paused the game. The door shut a minute later. "Not anymore." Wade relaxed against the headboard. 

Peter grabbed a mask and slid it on before joining him on the bed. "I couldn't let you be the only one rocking the mask." he said when Wade flicked his mask. Wade flipped over to the tv and searched for something to watch. He watched him out of the corner of his eye. "You said you had a year left? What are you going to do with the rest of your time?" 

Wade hummed and stared up at the ceiling letting his lips patter off the theme of whatever creepy alien show that he had left the TV on. It wasn’t something he really liked to think about. Wade wasn’t exactly what anyone could call in “denial.” he accepted that his time was coming way faster than it should, he simply refused to do much of anything about it. And he couldn’t see the problem with that, wasn’t like there was much of a life to be wasting anyhow. “You know, I haven’t really thought about it.” he told Peter who blew out a breath and rolled his eyes. 

“Bullshit.” he called at him.

Wade chuckled. “You want to know my perfect last day?” he asked and Peter just blinked at him. “I just want to read my favorite book and eat the best spaghetti in the world. Then I want to have like, mind blowing sex and fall asleep.” he smirked over at Peter. “It’s the simple things.” he told him. But he stared at him too long and Wade was starting to feel uncomfortable so he grabbed the remote and started channel surfing again, diving into a game show before Peter could say anything.  
\- -  
“You have other friends?” Eddie demanded way louder than the woman sitting next to them would have liked judging by her death glare. He couldn’t blame her really, book stores were kind of by rule supposed to be quiet places but Eddie didn’t care much for rules. He actually didn’t care much for anything except Wade. 

Wade just shrugged flipping through the novel he was holding. “I socialize.” he told him, his voice not muffled now that he had the okay to be around other people without that stupid mask. 

Eddie rolled his eyes, “Where did you meet?” he asked. 

“The hospital.” Wade told him. 

“What, another cancer kid?” 

“Nah, my doctors son.” 

Eddie hummed tapping his foot. Wade just let him. There was no reason for him to try and get him to stop which was something he sadly had to accept even though it sometimes drove him crazy so he waited for him to say what was bothering him. “Does he know?” 

Wade looked up at him and frown. “He’s not stupid, so yeah.” 

Eddie nodded, the tapping continued. “He’s not going to stick around.” Wade just rolled his eyes. “No seriously, you just wait for some shit to go down. He’s going to bail.” Eddie told him.

He sighed shutting the book. “I’m really to go.” he told him putting the book back. It wasn’t as good as the cover said it was and he didn’t want to listen to Eddie being a jealous asshole anymore.  
\- -  
A screech woke him up but it took him a moment to realize that it was his. His breath came hard and heavy and made him cringe. He could feel his brain trying to tear itself apart. “Dad!” he shouted trying to pull himself out of bed. “DAD!” he shouted again, his voice hoarse and starting a fresh wave of pain all over again. He wasn’t there. Of course he wouldn’t be there when he actually needed him to be. His phone was on his bedside table, he just barely managed to type in 911 before it started again. He remembered muttering ambulance over and over. He remembered a man carrying him out of his bed and out of the house. He remembered someone saying his name, holding his hand. And then he remembered blissful silence.  
\- -  
Peter sat up when he heard his dad's beeper go off. It only ever went off if someone was dying. He could barely hear the rumble of his dad through the walls. When he stuck his head out into the hallway his dad was just leaving the room, half dressed, but working on the rest. He saw him and his face said it all. "Go back to sleep Peter." he would have laughed if his entire body hadn't decided it didn't want to work. His dad headed down the stairs and was out of the door, it slamming shut behind him, before he could even manage to step back into his room. He stared at the ceiling and tried not to think. 

It took a lot for his dad to not call security when he showed up at the hospital a few hours later. But he locked him in his office with the promise to keep him updated. At least that meant he wasn't dead. An hour later he had read the entire chapter on melanoma in one of his dad’s books. And was halfway through another when the door unlocked. "He's stable. Now go home and get some sleep you have work in the morning." There didn't seem to be any arguing. He nodded.   
\- -  
He watched the Chase while listening to the gentle hum of the oxygen breathing for Wade. He'd woken up a few minutes after he'd gotten there but didn't seem to notice anything around him. He itched at where the mask rubbed against this face. "Oedipus," Wade croaked. He didn't look away from the screen. It lit up green.  
"And they told me they had to remove your brain." 

Wade’s head lulled over to him. "And here I was thinking I'd get to become a zombie." 

Peter grinned. "I hate to break it to you, but you won't be running any marathons anymore. I know how badly you wanted that." 

Wade blinked at him. "Whatever will I do with myself now?!" he moaned halfheartedly. 

"Maybe skeleton?" Wade laughed and he felt bad when he coughed a few times after.   
\- -  
"I don't want you getting attached. There are chances, but he is not doing well. You can see that. Why don't you go hang out with your friends from school tomorrow?"

Peter stared at his dad. "Yeah that sounds like a good idea." he mumbled.  
\- -  
He didn't. He fell asleep watching pyramid in a chair that slowly became comfortable the more he used it. When he woke up Wade was sitting up picking at Jello. "Why don't you ever wake me up?" he grumbled wiping at his mouth. 

"I like to watch you sleep." Wade grinned at him as he said it. 

"That's not creepy at all." He took the roll tucked into the corner of the tray because he knew Wade hated the white ones. "What time is it?" Wade nodded to the clock. "Oh well I guess I slept through my chance of hanging out with my many, many school friends. My dad will be so disappointed." he bit into the roll a little harder than probably necessary when he heard his teeth clack together. 

"Uhh. That sucks?" Wade said with a forkful of jello skillfully paused in front of his mouth. 

"He just... Pisses me off. I don't have 'school' friends. He told me to call this guy that I haven't spoken to since third grade. If he ever paid attention..." he sighed. "It's stupid." his throat was tight and he wasn't sure which reason had him swallowing past a lump. "You would think almost losing me would make him care but all it did was give him a reason to switch specialties and focus on other kids instead of the defective one he created." he sighed again. "I shouldn't complain," he mumbled. "You know all about absentee dads." Wade was staring at him he could see the question forming, but before he could ask his dad walked in as if summoned. He shot Peter a frown. He watched as he did the check up. He had seen it a few times before. 

Wade looked tired after he left. He lowered the bed and rolled on his side. "How are you defective? You look like the opposite of defective to me." Peter could tell he'd chosen the wrong word. 

He shifted down in the chair and pulled his feet up onto it. "One of my kidneys stopped working before I was born. The other decided it wanted to kick the bucket before my first birthday. My dad apparently didn't take it well watching me die. I got a kidney for my second birthday. And a really distant dad after that." he mumbled. "I don't think he liked knowing there was nothing he could do." He stared at the tv although it had never been turned off mute. "He's so focused on the fact that I almost died that he is missing the rest of my life." He looked over at Wade who didn't have much of a life left whose own dad wasn't there to see any of it. 

"Fucking dad's," he grunted, his voice cracking. And Peter wanted to be here to see what he could of the rest of Wade’s life. However long it was. And he didn't even know why he wanted it so badly.  
\- -  
Wanting things hadn't been Wade's style since he was diagnosed. He had always just kind of figure that was normal for cancer kids. There was no point in wanting what you couldn't have so it was easier not to want things. But he wanted Peter. He wanted him to be around. Everything was so boring when he wasn't there but even watching bad TV with Peter was fun. 

He knew it was stupid to want him. And it was cruel. And in a life that had been so cruel to him how could he put that on someone else? He knew that it could only end in one way a way that would leave his friend the one hurting. But the thing about wanting is that you can't help what you want. You only know that you want it. "Do you really not have any real friends?" Wade asked as they made their daily lap around the Pediatric ward. 

The boy snorted. ''What? Are you imaginary now?"He just shrugged and Peter frown at him. "I guess there's Gwen." he shrugged . "And you when you exist." Wade couldn't help but grin. "What?" Peter demanded "Not like you have a constant stream of admirers. " 

"True," he shrugged wrapping an arm lazily around his Shoulders. "But I have you."  
\- -  
His father shifted uncomfortably next to him looking at anyone but Dr. Parker told him about their next treatment plan. Wade just watched Peter watching them from the hallway, his eyes switching between him and his own father who was frowning at Wade like he had done something wrong. He was always looking at Wade that way now, like he had done something wrong for living through his body trying to kill him. Like he thought it would be better off he just kicked the bucket before Peter got too invested in him as a person. He just focused on tying his shoe, listening to his dad fake a call so he could leave the hospital before his sick child could get too needy. Dr. Parker just stared after him stunned and Wade sighed. "Don't worry, I called Eddie to take me home just in case he bailed." His phone chirped alerting him of his presence like he'd been signaled. 

"Wade." The doctor fidgeted almost as awkwardly as his own father. 

He sat up and waited feeling what he wasn't sure was hurt or annoyance. "If you have something to say, spit it out." He told him tired of everyone always dancing around his feelings all of the time. 

The doctor nodded and cleared his throat. "I don't think it’s a good idea for you and Peter to spend any more time together." He told him. 

Wade didn't move, he didn't even blink. Annoyance turned to anger and he waited for more like there was some sort of magic explanation that could make saying that to someone okay. But that was all he said. "Right." Wade said standing up feeling more determined than he had in days. "I guess I'll see you the next time I'm dying." He told him stiffly and walked past him. Peter watched him approach with a furrowed brow as Wade pulled him in and kissed him right in the middle of the hallway. There wasn't any reason for him not to, and if he didn't he may never get the chance. Peter blinked and jumped but for the most part didn't seem to fend him off before Wade moved back. "I’m going to call you later." He told him gruffly before turning back to give a pointed look at Peter’s father who looked about as stunned as Peter did.

The universe didn't make Peter wait long. He stared after Wade. That was why he cared so much. He tasted like cherry jello. He was pretty sure Wade had eaten the green today not that hospital jello tasted like anything. His dad grabbed his elbow and dragged him down to an empty room. He was pretty sure that it hadn't been empty the day before. But that didn't mean anything he reminded himself. Wade’s room was empty bow and he was walking talking kissing. His eyes drifted toward the door. "How long do you plan on living?" 

Peter jolted. "What?" 

His dad shut the door. "Have you ever thought of college?" he stared at his dad. "Moving out? Having a roaring 21st birthday? Marriage? Kids? A job you hate?" His dad stopped and looked directly at him. "He won't be there for any of that." His fingers folded into fists. "I just want what's best for you. And touching death this young... I don't want you to ever go through that sorrow. It changes you." He bit his lip. "I'm not going to forbid you to see him. I know you would do it just to spite me." And because he's my friend, he silently added. "But I'm just going to say this one last time. He is going to die. Don't pretend that something will magically change and it'll all be ok. I want you fully aware of what you're getting yourself into." 

Peter nodded. His dad stepped out after a second of tension. "What the fuck?" he gasped when the door shut again. His eyes burned with anger. He grit his teeth and left the hospital.

He didn't stay at home long. Wade had said he'd call. He grabbed his backpack, stuffed with random crap he took to work with him and headed out. He wasn't sure where he was going, but he ended up downtown walking through the few crowds that had gathered for some hometown celebration he'd never seen the point of. His phone vibrated in his pocket. 

It was his mom. She rarely called. "Hi." he offered when he answered. 

"Are you ok?" Peter nodded. Not really caring that she couldn't see. "Your father told me-" 

"That he's an asshole?" he interrupted. 

"Peter! He's just trying to keep you happy." 

He scoffed. "Ok. Tell him he failed. I'm fine. I don't think I'll be coming home tonight, so don't wait up." 

"Peter..." his mom called when he moved to hang up.

"..." He pulled the phone back. 

"I'd like to meet him. Your dad has the night shift tomorrow he could come over for dinner." 

He nodded again. "I'll ask him." he wondered how much his dad had told her. "Bye," he mumbled. 

"I love you." She sounded worried. 

"Me too," he replied before hanging up. He ducked into an alley way and leaned against the wall. His eyes searching the skies for answers. Or for just some order in his head. It all felt like a jumbled mess. He had never felt so off kilter before. 

Half an hour later as the sun was starting to set his phone went off again. He answered it. "Hey." He pushed himself up off the wall and started toward Wade’s house. 

"Are you ok?" 

He shook his head. "Yeah. I'm coming over. That cool?" 

Wade was quiet for a second. "Yeah. So the craziest thing happened..." he listened to the story as he left the crowds behind and entered a winding maze of housing developments. His head slowly letting go of the unimportant as Wade talked. Wade was leaning against the frame of his front door when he got there. They'd hung up when he'd started down his street. "Did you walk here?" 

He shrugged. "I didn't feel like driving." He followed Wade up to his room. He noticed the careful pace he set as he climbed the stairs. 

"So why do you look like you-" he kissed him before he could finish the question he wasn't quite ready to answer. Wade was as surprised as he'd been in the hallway at the hospital. He didn't care. He wasn't going to hold back because there was a certainty he was going to get hurt. He'd decided as he stared at Orion's belt that he was going to get as much out of the time they had left. "Whoa," Wade gasped, pushing him back a little bit, but still holding on to his shirt. 

They had watched two horrible movies, kissed enough times that he was pretty sure he could recreate his mouth from memory, and had argued over which of the fantastic four had the lamest power. He leaned against the footboard of Wade’s bed and nudged him to bring his attention back from where he was rambling. "So. My dad is not going to tell me to stay away from you anymore. He had his final say today right after you left. It all boils down to 'Death is coming for that boy and there is nothing you can do to stop it,'" he mocked in an awful British accent. He had been aiming for southern, but he was tired.

Wade frowned. "I kind of sound like a badass." Wade said with a grin. "I wonder what I've done to piss death off so much that she's placed a bounty on my head." 

He laughed. "I didn't say anything about a bounty." 

Wade nodded. "There has to be a bounty. It makes me more badass." 

He screamed when Wade squeezed his knee. "Stop it," he pleaded trying to squirm away from the tickling feeling. "The bounty is only fifty bucks. You can't be that much of a badass." 

Wade stopped tickling him. "It’s not fifty bucks. Try one million dollars.” He said hooking a pinky at the corner of his mouth. 

"One million? For you? I'll take death up on that offer. Can you hand me that pillow?" he had his hand on the pillow when Wade realized what he'd insinuated and snatched the pillow back. 

"Nope. I'm not that easy to get rid of." They fought halfheartedly for the pillow. Both of them growing more and more tired as the hour hand on the clock started to point further and further south. Wade finally ended the fight by flopping his head down on the pillow and sticking his tongue out. He settled on the pillow next to him. "If I had a superpower it would be healing." Wade said after a few minutes of silence. He'd almost fallen asleep. His voice had been so small. It was the first time that Wade had actually seemed bothered by his expiration date as he'd called it a few hours ago. "Death would never collect her bounty." Wade said a few seconds later. 

"I'd be super fast and flexible and would swing through the city." 

Wade laughed. "What?"

Peter shrugged and rolled over so he could watch his profile. "It was a dream I had when I was younger. I fought crime. I saved people. I dodged bullets. And swung from rooftops of skyscrapers with this web like stuff." 

Wade looked over at him. "That sounds lame." 

He kneed him. "It wasn't. The wind rushed by me as I swung. I could see the entire city. It was amazing. I could do whatever I wanted." he remembered why that had appealed so much to him. He was having trouble with his kidney. It hadn't lasted long, but he'd been on medicine that had him staying home from school and stuck pretty much in his bed. Wade’s hand found his and he looked over. Wade’s eyes were closed. He watched him until his eyes were pulled closed with sleep.   
\- -  
"What happened to your face?" 

He threw up his hands. "Am I too good looking?" he knew Wade was talking about his black eye. "Some guy walked up to me and punched me in the face when I was out with Gwen."Wade touched his face. "Oh and I was informed that if I "hurt him" I'll be dead. I assume that someone is you. Or they got the wrong person. Did I just meet Eddie?" he headed toward the kitchen to get ice. "Oh my mom wants to meet you. Just us and her." he added when Wade made a face. “Dinner tonight?" he'd meant to ask the night before, but he'd forgotten and also hadn't really wanted to ruin anything.

Wade squinted up his face. "I guess I'm kind of obliged to say yes seeing as you got punched in the face for me and all." he grumbled almost bitterly but not quite there. He would have done anything Peter asked him too just ‘cause it meant spending more time with Peter. But the thought of meeting yet another parent made him want to cringe. "Are you sure though?" he asked following behind him, "So far I don't have the best track record with parents. Namely yours." 

Peter snorted rather unattractively, somehow managing to make it the hottest thing in the universe. "My dad likes you." he shrugged.

Wade laughed, "Your dad won't even look at me." 

"But not ‘cause he doesn't like you." he reminded him pressing a little baggie of ice into his eye and wincing, "He's just... I don't know." 

Wade pushed himself off the counter he'd been leaning on and pulled out a cloth napkin from the drawer next to the oven, taking the ice away from Peter. "He's scared." Wade told him wrapping it up and pressing the cloth gently to his face. "He gets to be because I'm kind of dying." Wade smirked at Peter whose good humor had vanished. He didn't like it when that happened. "All the good ones die young." he winked at him and watched as he made the slightly annoyed face that lit him up inside.   
\- -  
"And why exactly did you feel the need to punch my boyfriend?" he asked throwing the door open when Eddie told him that he was there. 

Eddie followed him into the empty house with his hands shoved in his pockets and shrugged, "He was walking around with some blond bitch." he grumbled. 

"So, I walk around with you all the time." Wade told him.

Eddie rolled his eyes at him. "All I saw was my best friend’s guy walking around with some girl. I hit him. Sue me." He told him following Wade up the stairs. 

He decided not to push it any further, what was done was done and Peter didn't seem to be bothered by the bruise. "I have to go eat dinner with his mom." He told Eddie shouldering open his room door. "She wants to meet me." 

“Why do you say that like it's some kind of death sentence." Wade gave him a look and held up his hands. "Okay, distasteful." he told him and Wade pulled open his closet and looked through his clothes for something presentable. "Do you even eat anymore?" He asked.

Wade made a face, "Sometimes." he told him. He actually hadn't eaten anything other than jello since he left the hospital but the only person who noticed was him and he didn't see a problem with that. "What if I get sick?" he asked Eddie feeling ridiculously whiny as he threw a pair of dark jeans onto his bed and pulled his cage the elephant shirt over his head. "What if she makes, like, this huge meal and I can't even get through half the plate. Isn't that kind of insulating?" 

Eddie frown and sat down on the edge of the bed. "Dude you have cancer. I'm pretty sure you can get away with anything." And Wade laughed at that pulling on his long sleeve red vneck.   
\- -   
He walked as slow as he possibly could from his car to Peter's front door trying to figure out if he should double back to the supermarket and pick up flowers or something. He had never done this before and he had never imagined that he would have to and yet there he found himself hesitantly knocking on the door and holding his breath until footsteps told him it was too late to run away. Peter answered the door, the bruise that rung his eye looking worse than it had that morning but otherwise he looked perfectly happy to see him and maybe a little nervous. He tried not to let that sink in too much as he walked into the entryway. "Hey," he said softly giving him a greeting kiss that seemed to make him feel a little better. He idly wondered what a couple more would do but didn't have time to see before Doctor Parker found them. 

"So you are the boy who's causing so much trouble." She scolded playfully ushering him into the kitchen. He threw a look over his shoulder at Peter when just smirked and shrugged. Mrs. Doctor Parker was some kind of micro biochemist. She had sharp eyes and an even sharper smirk and Wade found himself very easily lost in conversation with her. He saw so much of Peter in her, in the way that she laughed and the little squint in her left eye when she smiled too big. It would have weirded him out if she hadn't consumed him with question after question that he answered the best that he could. Until they got to the topic that everyone gets to eventually and she almost shut off. 

Wade just smiled at her. "I know what you want to ask." he told her, "It's okay." 

She nodded. "How long do they think...?" she trailed off and he felt Peter stiffen next to him. 

He reached over and took his hand, Peter holding it hard. "Five years." he told her. He used to say that it would be less but for Peter he wanted those five years and he was convinced that he could take them. 

She nodded again and he was impressed that she had taken that so well. "Is there anything you want to do before?" she asked skillfully leaving out his imminent death. 

"I'd like to have a dog." he told her.

She laughed instantly lightening the mood of the entire table. "A dog?" she asked as though the thought were absurd. 

But Wade just grinned. "I've never had one, I've always been too sick." He glanced over at Peter who was still frowning and gave his hand a little squeeze. "It's the little things." 

Peter’s mom's watch chirped. She looked to him, stopping her sentence halfway through it. "I know." He pushed back from the table and jogged upstairs. 

They were still talking when he got back. He settled at the table. "Did you take it last night?" 

He nodded. "I'm not a little kid. I can remember to take my medicine." 

She smiled at him. "I know. But I will always worry about you." He ate a forkful of pasta and glanced to Wade. He was watching them with a curious smile. "So how is the..." his attention drifted when his mom asked about a certain drug. 

He watched as Wade talked. He still couldn't get over his response. Five years. He'd never said more than one and now he was going to make it to five. He blinked when his dad's voice popped in his head. Maybe he was right. He shouldn't hope for more. Focus on just getting to tomorrow. But if Wade was demanding five years, he'd hope for five years. "Five dollars. Nobody is going to waste their time on that bounty." he mumbled when his mom took their plates to the kitchen. 

"Some desperate soul might. We'll see." Wade said with a lopsided smirk. He kissed him. 

"I feel like I haven't seen you in forever," his mom complained while they sat in the living room. None of them were watching whatever the tv had settled on. Wade’s head was on his shoulder as he ate ice cream. His mom pointed to him with a spoonful of chocolate syrup. "You need to become nocturnal so we can bond." 

He chuckled. "I start school next week again. I don't think they'll let me sleep through my classes." 

Wade’s head shifted to look up at him. "You're going back to school?" 

He nodded. "Yeah. That's why I was with Gwen. She was catching me up with what I missed." 

His mom sat up. "Gwen? How is she?" 

He threaded his fingers through Wades. "She's good. Still complaining that I'm not up there battling her for valedictorian. She told me that there is no competition while she lectured me on your research." His mom loved Gwen. When he first brought her over sometime in the third grade and they had bonded over a love of science. He always thought that she wanted them to get together. Gwen had a weakness for muscle bound jocks though and had been dating Flash since homecoming 8th grade year. 

"Peter. You should give her some challenge. It’s not fair." 

He grinned and turned to Wade "Maybe you could beat her in a trivia contest. That would rile her enough." 

Wade snorted. "Would I be the beast?" 

He nodded. "Sexy beast," he mumbled under his breath. Wade burst out laughing.

He drove Wade home. Mostly because he wanted to get out of his house. He loved his mom. He missed her almost all the time, but he'd gotten so used to her not being there that it felt strange with her around. But also because Wade looked like he was ready to drop any second. "I like your mom. She reminds me of you." 

He smiled. "Thanks. I think she's pretty awesome too." Peter stayed over. He didn't ask, but Wade just shifted over on the bed until they were pressed close.   
\- -  
He fiddled with the lid on his meds. "Ugh. What is your problem?" he grumbled at the lid. 

Wade stepped in and grabbed his toothbrush. "Having trouble?" 

"Do you know how many people have died because they couldn't get their pills open?" it finally popped. "None, probably but they're still stupid." He swallowed it and tossed the bottle back in his bag. Wade finished brushing his teeth and grabbed his own box popping open the labeled day slot and grinned as he took his meds. "Oh shut up. Yours are in easily opened squares. I have to struggle with lining up triangles and shut up." 

Wade just nodded with a wide smile on his face. "What are yours for? Your mom seemed pretty intense about it." 

He shrugged. "Anti-rejection. Gotta take them ‘For the length of the transplant.’” He added the finger quotes. "So for me. My entire life. I missed a while when I was young and had issues so now my mom texts... Oh look. Like clockwork... To check." He replied and dropped the phone. "I swear sometimes the human body is stupid. I've had this thing in me for 15 years and tomorrow my body could decide it wants to break up and try kicking it out." Wade had a look of concern on his face. "Oh. No. Its not bad. I just go in they load me up with these craptastic drugs and they are a happy couple again. Easy peasy." he pecked him on the nose. "Who knows maybe you'll get to see me in the hospital." 

Wade grabbed him. "Don't joke like that." 

He nodded quickly at the sudden anger. "I know. I just wanted you to stop looking at me like that." 

Wade let go. "Sorry." he said softly.   
\- -  
School sucked. Mostly because this was time he wanted to spend with Wade. Most of his attention was on him anyway. Texts. All sorts of texts. Arguments over dog names. Where he left his cd. Things he wanted to do when he got out of school. Whether or not Pluto was a planet. Clothes he wished he wasn't wearing. Lots of things. He decided on that first day he was testing out. He should have sooner, but he wasn't ready to go out and get some higher education. Or a real job. He liked the mindlessness that came with being a highschooler. But that month off showed him how much he wanted to be done.   
\- -  
He crouched in front of a fence and let a dog lick his fingers through the bars. Wade was talking to one of the volunteers giving her his laundry list of requirements. He poked at the dog's nose and it looked confused before barking at him. He moved over and watched the dog hobble forward when he wiggled his fingers. He chuckled at the overstuffed weiner as it wiggled its way across the cage. "I like this one," he said when the dog rammed his head against his fingers instead of licking them. He scratched behind his ear. 

"He's an older dog." the girl warned. 

Wade leand over him. "Does he only have three legs?" Wade asked. 

He nodded. "Defective." he said with a smirk. He loved him as soon as he got to pick him up. He was all wiggle and flopping tongue. "Pick me," he said pouting as he pressed his face next to the pugs. 

Wade scoffed. "Damn you." he scratched the dogs head. "Damn you both." he pressed a quick kiss to his cheek. 

"He's gonna be awesome." He didn't want to put him down, but they insisted that he walk him to make sure they were sure. He followed him around as he sniffed at everything in the shelters fence. 

"He's not very fast," Wade commented. 

Peter nodded and bumped against his shoulder. "Sometimes neither are you." They stopped at the end of the yard. "Are you sure? He has one thing on your list. He's not a puppy." 

Wade crouched and the little thing hobbled over to him and shoved his head into his knee. "What's your name buddy?" Wade pet him for a while, smiling softly. He knew he was hooked. "Oh really? Oswald?" He grinned as he looked up at him. 

"I told you giving animals people names is weird." Peter couldn't say no though. He kind of immediately loved it. 

"But Ozzy loves his new name." Wade pouted using the same thing he'd done before. 

"Let's go pay the lady and get out of here." 

Little Oswald had trouble with stairs. Trouble going up more than three and going down even one. It was adorable. "Your dog is afraid of heights." He commented from the bed. 

Wade was trying to set up the tiny steps to let him get on the bed. "He's not afraid. He's just... He has three legs and look how tiny they are. He just has trouble." 

He grinned as Ozzy flopped on his chest. "Look at that little face. It’s so small I can fit it all in my mouth. I'm just gonna eat your face it’s so cute." Wade snorted, Oswald yipped at him and he laughed. "The vet said he's eleven? Isn't that like the oldest they get?" 

Wade shrugged. "He said they can live up to 15 years. So who knows. Maybe I'll outlive him." 

He frowned and sat up some. "Maybe? What happened to telling my mom you were gonna live for five years?" 

Wade sighed and fell onto the bed next to him. "I don't know. I still think I can. I just don't want..." he trailed off. 

"How about this. Me and you have some spaghetti when Ozzy here heads up to adorable face heaven?" 

Wade looked over at him. "What?" 

He grinned. "A little incentive for you?" Oswald tumbled down the half finished stairs from the bed when he moved closer.   
\- -  
"You made a sex bet on out living your dog?" Eddie asked focused mostly on Ozzy who was trying to lick his face but was being held just far enough away to not reach him. 

"Stop torturing him." Wade swatted at Eddie taking the little dog away from him. 

"I'm just saying that's pretty fucked up." he told him.

Wade screwed up his face in his best friends general direction. "Is it really that bad to not want an old dog to live without his master?" he asked and the pug yipped at him letting him know that he wholeheartedly agreed, of course and that he was the best master a gimp dog could ask for. He scratched his head affectionately. 

"He could always stay with me." Eddie told him.

Wade shook his head. "Pete said he'd take him. Little thing is already in love with him." He put Ozzy down and looked up at Eddie who was glaring at him. "What?" he asked wanting to know what he could have possibly done wrong now.

Eddie got up. "Just wondering what else Petey gets besides all of your time and your dog." the harshness of the words took him aback. They stung. 

"Whoa, dude." 

"No you whoa. Look, I'm super happy that you’re in gay love and everything but you are fucking dying dude." Wade just stared at the ground. "You may have a shit dad, but me, Logan, your friends- we care about you. Only we never get to fucking see you anymore because of your obsession with his kid that you hardly even know." Eddie seethed.

Wade snapped at him. "Don't tell me shit about Peter, you're the one who refuses to even meet him!" he shouted.

Eddie took a step closer getting in his face. "Why should I? All he is, is a pretty face for you to stick your dick in-" he only got half of the word out before Wade tackled him. They grappled for a few minutes with Ozzy gimping around them and barking like it would stop their fight. 

Wade managed to dig his knee into Eddie's chest and gave him a hard hit in the eye. "That was for Peter you fuck wad." he panted but he knew that it wasn't hard enough to leave a mark. He was starting to feel something. The start of a bad something. Eddie bucked him off of him and Wade lay out on the floor trying to catch his breath but he was having trouble breathing let alone panting. Eddie was saying something but he couldn't hear him. He watched as his face went from complete rage to annoyance and then concern. He was saying things at him again. Shaking him. He needed him to do something but what? He watched him search for his cellphone, throwing blankets and pillows until he found it and pressed it to his ear.

He felt as though he was still dreaming when he woke up. Peter and Eddie were standing in the corner of the hospital room talking under their breath, deep frowns carved into both of their faces. It was surreal to see them together but it was even more surreal with Peter pat his shoulder. "Did I miss the part where you two kissed and made up?" he croaked startling both of them, "Cause I'd kick your ass." He told Eddie who was looking at him like he was already dead. 

"You are a fucking dick." Eddie told him, his eyes welling up.

Wade grinned. "Love you too, bro."  
\- -  
It seemed that Logan had learned how to grunt since the last time that he had seen him. He usually just sat in brooding silence and frown at everyone walking past them but since his absence Eddie had taught him how to almost form words. "Wade's here." Eddie told him with a grin when he walked in and plopped onto the couch and Logan grunted still focused on his video game when Wade joined them, adjusting his hospital mask. He sat next to Eddie who passed him a controller and joined the game. "So I talked to Peter." He told him.

Wade glance over at him before settling on kirby as his character. "Yeah?" he asked clicking start on the Hyrule ruins. 

"Yeah. We talked a bit when you were out." He told him. 

"What about?" Wade asked. "Just stuff." Eddie said back but he knew that it was more than that. He knew that Eddie had things that he couldn't say to Wade and maybe Peter did too and it touched him knowing that Eddie was trying. It gave him peace of mind knowing they could talk to each other. 

"Cool." He said even though it was more than that and Logan grunted before kicking him into the sky.   
\- -  
"I hate this thing." Peter whined kissing his mask before settling back against his chest sullenly glaring at Jurassic Park that was screaming on the television. Per his mother’s request they had been spending more time at Peter's house and with every visit he could feel Dr. Parker becoming less resentful at the fact that he was their.   
"You won't hate it in five years when he's still around." his father told them from the kitchen when he and his wife were cooking together, the smells almost making him wish that he had an appetite. 

Wade grinned pulling it up for just a moment to plant a kiss on his forehead. "Comes off in a week baby boy." he reminded him and Peter grumbled sullenly about all of the things he couldn't do until then.   
\- -  
Ozzy was panting as he hobbled along. His tail wagging excitedly. He was still surprised at how hard the little turd could pull at the leash. He was tugged forward when Oswald just HAD to smell a stalk of grass in the middle of someone's yard. He adjusted his grip on Wade’s hand. "Yeah. I'll come. You keep making it seem like I don't want to do anything with you." He looked over. "I like Logan. He gets me." he'd met him once when he'd run into Eddie at the grocery store. Wade chuckled. "We had a long conversation about the benefits of universal health care and whether god is a woman. He has some interesting ideas." 

Wade bumped him. "Well then." a dog with a foot almost twice the size of Ozzy walked up to them. The owner a tiny girl who looked like she could could fly a dandelion into the sky if the wind caught it right. He wanted to pick him up and run away because he was a little scared. But the gimp was fearless. He walked straight up to him and they sniffed each other. He felt Wade’s thumb rub the back of his hand, trying to soothe him. The dogs just continued on their ways like there wasn't a problem in the world. He sighed and glanced back. The girl was running as the dog dragged her along. "If you really don't mind sitting around and playing video games, then I guess you can come. Since you and Logan have such a deep connection." 

"And mind blowing sex. Can't forget that." he kissed wade before he could reply. "Eddie isn't going to punch me is he? I swear its like I have a note that only he can read on my face." Eddie had looked like he was going to hit him when he showed up in the hospital. Like it was his fault Wade was there. 

Wade shrugged. "I can't guarantee anything." 

 

He went anyway. Eddie just nodded at him. He settled in front of a controller. Logan glanced up at him as if to say who are you. "Sup?" he said with a nod. And got a grunt back. 

"I see the connection." Wade said sliding in between him and Eddie. He grinned and grabbed the controller. It was a fun night. Wade and Eddie argued. Logan watched and smirked. He got a laugh out of him. He felt like his day was complete. He could die that moment and... well no. Cause Oswald was still alive and that mask was off and they hadn't spent any time by themselves. He swore his mom was psychic and knew what he was thinking and decided she was going to be the best cockblocker in the history of the world... the universe... existence. But it was still a pretty awesome night. He missed having friends.  
\- -  
"Guess who just finished his last test?" 

Wade rolled his head back on the couch. "What test?" 

He paused. "Oh yeah. I didn't tell you." he flopped down onto the couch. "I tested out of my classes. I'm officially done with school." 

Wade looked over to him. "Really?" 

He nodded. "Yep. I should have done this years ago."   
\- -  
"Oswald. Get off the bed," he hissed when the dog licked his side.

Wade chuckled and looked down. "Aw leave him." Ozzy yipped. 

"He's not licking you and making things very confusing." Wade sat up and pushed Ozzy toward the stairs. The dog whined and he almost felt bad, but he was going crazy. But Ozzy smiled and hopped down his stairs and out of the room. "Where were we?" 

Wade snickered. "I think you were trying to kill the dog?" 

He laughed. "You're trying to kill me." He whined. 

Wade kissed his collarbone. "I'd never." 

He sighed. "I want spaghetti now," he whined. 

Wade bit down. "It was your idea." 

Peter nodded. "And it was a stupid one. Why didn't you stop me?" 

"My mom always said it's better to let people learn from their mistakes." he grinned and kissed him there so that he didn't have to talk about his mom because he knew that Peter would be asking now that he'd brought her up. It wasn't that he had anything against talking about his late mother, there were just other things that he would rather be doing with his mouth. And his hands that molded divots into his skin as they pushed up his shirt, almost marring what was too perfect to be his but it was, all the more to explore. "Why are you so perfect?" he demanded feeling more than frustrated while his lips stopped Peter from answering until he was breathless and panting as Wade’s mouth followed his jaw. 

"One of us has to be." he told him.

Wade chuckled rocking back so he could look down at him. "I love you." he told him because he did. Right then he loved him more than he ever thought he could love anything and not because of any one thing he had done just because of all the small things that made him the wonderful human that he was. And it didn't matter how many times either of them had said it before, he said it then with his everything earning the biggest smiled he had ever seen as Peter pulled him back down for a kiss. It hadn't started out heated but it sure turned that way. Peter's shirt didn't stay on long and soon his own was discarded despite the minor set back of it getting caught on his ear. He rolled his hips into the boys but it wasn't close enough so his hands went to work on his jeans which Peter gave up without a fight, struggling to shove Wade's down but not getting them past the bottom of his boxers before he groaned in frustration and Wade laughed kissing the side of his face wherever he could reach him as he struggled. He pushed against him again causing Peter to abandon his pants and grip at his shoulders as he stifled a moan, heat rushing up his spine. He did it again and he fell back against the pillows. He bit his own lip when he rubbed against him again, his arousal causing him discomfort but the friction offering some relief. Peter seemed to feel it too, Grabbing onto his hips and pulling him almost painfully close. But it was oh so good. They moved across each other, faster and faster until neither of them could handle it any longer and both of them were panting, Wade clutching tightly to the sheets and cursing and Peter gripping at his back whispering how fond he was of him over and over into the skin above his ear. 

"Oh good the dogs not dead." Peter mumbled when Oswald licked a stripe up his back. 

Wade laughed. "You know you're fond of him." 

He felt his skin heat up. "You heard..." he covered his face. He hadn't been able to stop even though he felt like an idiot saying he was fond of him. 

"I did. You said it enough."

Peter rolled over, Oswald hopping up and on both of them. "I am fond of you." 

Wade grinned. "I'm fond of you too." 

He felt his grin match Wades. "Good."   
\- -  
"I feel like crap. Can you come over?" 

Peter looked up at the clock. "Yeah." he pulled on a oversized shirt. 

Wade was staring at the TV the light flashing across his face. He settled in beside him and pulled him close. "It starts again tomorrow," Wade said, his voice muted. 

He kissed the back of his neck. He wanted to tell him it would be ok. That he'd be fine, but he didn't. "Are you sure you don't want me to go?" 

Wade shrugged and sunk deeper into his arms."I don't know. Maybe next time." 

Peter threaded his fingers through his. "Ok. I go where you command." Wade laughed and Ozzie barked as if to tell them to shut up. He snickered and tucked his head against him. "You should try to get some sleep." 

Wade nodded. "I should."   
\- -  
Wade watched Dr. Parker's face as he looked over his chart and frown when he set it back in its place against the bed. They were upping the dose today, he knew it before he said it. He watched the needle go in and sat back into bed listening to Peter's dad tell him that his charts actually didn't look too bad today wondering what that even meant this far along in his treatment, deciding it was best to ignore it and crush that hope where it started. He decided he would try and sleep before the nausea hit him and tucked himself into the crappy hospital blankets.

He broke by the next morning. -Do you want to be my favorite person in the world?- he texted Peter and in no time he got a message back. 

-Pretty sure I already am. What's up ladybug?- 

Wade grinned at the stupid pet name that he secretly loved but wouldn't tell that to Peter because he'd stop using it if he knew he liked it. -your father is trying to freeze the cancer out of me. I need a snuggle buddy.- he sent hating his own pathetic need of him but knowing that Peter wouldn't refuse. 

-On my way.- he told him and Wade hummed in content pulling his beanie further down on his bald head.

"This game is stupid." Peter grumbled where he lay on his shoulder. 

Wade just smiled his eyes closed from the half sleep he was in. "What is it?" He asked.

Peter laughed. "If you would open your eyes you might be able to see it." He told him but Wade grumbled and rolled over onto his side so he could bury himself in the boy's neck. 

"I don't want to waste my last hours watching a show about weird girls." He told him and Peter pinched him hard on the arm. 

"Ouch." He complained as Peter said, "Not funny." 

Wade just kissed his neck and rolled back onto the pillow closing his eyes again. It made him sad to be so happy. "You'll remember me right?" He asked and Peter didn't say anything he just turned into him and let his thumb trace circles into his shoulder.  
\- -   
His mom was humming as she set the table. His dad was stirring the pot of sauce like it held the cure to cancer. He chuckled. "What are you laughing at?" His mom asked ruffling his hair as she passed to grab the bread. 

"Dad." She laughed herself. It was the night before his 18th birthday. Almost a year and a half since that kiss in the hall. Wade had declared that all 24 hours of his birthday were his so he was having dinner with his family now. 

"What's Wade doing?" his mom asked straightening a fork. 

"I don't know, lounging around the apartment. Avoiding doing anything probably." he hadn't been home when he left. -Secret stuff- he'd told him when he asked him what he was up to. 

"I still don't know why you two can't just live here." His mom pouted at him, but Peter was used to it. 

"I've explained it. I'm not doing it anymore. You can remember genetic code. You can remember my reasoning." 

She tutted. "So grown up." he grinned. In all reality they had just been lying around one day making a complete mess of the living room at Wade’s when his maid had arrived for her weekly sweep and dust. She had flipped out on them and after she left he'd said they should get their own place. It had been a joke at first. Just a comment meant to be ignored. But then they both kind of paused. All decisions they made before that had been instant. No wasted time. This took a little more work. His parents rented the apartment for them. He worked for the utilities while Wade’s dad paid for food. Wade fiddled around with the paper and getting a job. He always hesitated though before applying. He knew why. They just never talked about it. During dinner they talked about college, his job at the hospital, and the growing pack of dogs they had. 

His dad looked distracted the whole meal. He knew that look and it worried him. "We have something for you. Your present." His mom handed over the envelope. He looked at them with a smile. 

When he opened it he froze. Tickets. Airplane tickets. To Europe. He looked up. His dad was watching him. This was bad. This was a last trip. A way to say goodbye. Wade was dying. He was dead. "Peter." He was shaking. His mom had taken the envelope from him and was pulling him into a hug. "You should have told him first." She snapped and he let out a whimper. He couldn't die. They just got Harriet. And Fiddle only listens to Wade. 

"Peter." his Dad’s voice drew his eyes up to him. "I got his scans back yesterday. He's clear." 

Peter blinked. He'd heard wrong. "What?" 

His dad nodded. "He's clear. They're gone." 

"Why didn't he tell me?" he asked his voice cracking. His mom let him go. 

"I haven't told him. This," he nodded to the envelope, "is my way of saying I'm sorry. I've never seen you so happy. I shouldn't have tried to keep you from him." 

He pulled the envelope to him. "You need to tell him." he stared at the tickets. A trip. Because he was happy. And he was. He wasn't always. Wade was a dick sometimes. But he was too. The sessions sucked the life out of him and there were days when Wade just wanted to be left alone. Ozzie was still alive. Damn dog. But they made it work.  
The phone was ringing. And ringing. He could see his dad frown. "You call him. He has a habit of not answering my calls." 

Peter grinned. There were a few times where both of them were too distracted to be bothered to answer the phone. He grabbed his phone. Wade answered after a single ring. "Yullo." 

He couldn't stop smiling. "So you have given me the best birthday present ever." 

Wade was silent. "I haven't given you anything, bug." 

He laughed. "Hold on." he handed the phone over and listened to his dad in technical terms tell Wade that he was going into remission. His mom kissed him. 

"Yeah, he's heading home. Come in on Friday for a follow up ok?" Wade must have agreed. 

"Thank you so much." he hugged them both before heading home. If he sped it was only because he didn't want to waste a second. He'd never even let himself dream of the R word. And now it was there. The sword of Damocles had raised a little bit and they were allowed to dream a little. To plan. He doubted anything would change. He liked living like there was no tomorrow. It suited them.   
\- -  
He couldn't sit down. He walked in circles, wearing in the carpet until he heard the key in the lock and went to pull open the door. He couldn't even handle the look on Pete's face as he pulled him into the room and pushed him back into the door to close it. His lips crashed into the boys kissing him the way that he wanted to kiss him everyday because he suddenly had an everyday to look forward to. He grinned into Peter's neck allowing him a moment to breathe and picked him off the ground, carrying him over to their bed. His hunger renewed when he dropped him onto the matrices, Peter seemingly surprised at aggression. He pulled his shirt over his head and let his hands wander south just enough under the denim that he had Peter gasping. "But...what about... Ah! Ozzy-" he tried to get out but Wade swallowed his words. 

"Fuck the dog." he growled laughing when he heard a yip almost as if in protest but Pete seemed determined to know why. 

"Wade-" 

He hesitated and the young man pushed himself up a little. "I just found out I'm going to live today." he told him. And all of a sudden it really hit him. Like it hadn't seemed real until he said it out loud. "I spent half my life waiting to bite it, I dropped out of school, I stopped making plans, I've never even had a job! And then I got you. And all I wanted were plans and a future and now we can have that. We have a life time to do whatever we want. And dear God, Peter, if you don't let me fuck you right now I swear I will-" But Peter cut him off this time. For a while they were nothing but a tangle of limbs and tongues becoming more so with every article of clothing shed. Peter was bare before him, hesitant fingers twitching at the idea of pulling off the one thin cloth that was keeping them apart. "You okay? " Wade asked him. 

It would have killed him to stop there but if he had to he had to om but Peter looked at him-looked into him and shook his head. "I love you. " he told him.

Wade grinned. "I'm pretty fond of you too." He told him back and Peter probably would have hit him if he hadn't rolled his hips. They fumbled around. Maybe they shouldn't have waited so long. Wade stared down at him as he pulled out the fingers that had been driving him crazy for the last few minutes. There was a kiss and a moment where neither of them breathed before Wade was pushing in. "So fucking fond," Wade hissed. Peter closed his eyes trying to keep the tears out of them. He felt stupid. Wade stilled his thumb rubbed across his cheek and he knew he'd failed. "Peter?" Wade shifted like he was going to pull away. 

He grabbed his hip and forced a smile. "No no. Its ok." he pulled wade down and kissed him through the tangle of emotions slowly settling within him. "I'm just... God this is going to be worse than fond..." he mumbled. Wade’s hips jerked but he didn't think it was on purpose, but it shut his brain off for a second. "I'm happy. So happy." 

Wade laughed and kissed his face all over until he was laughing too. "I'm gonna tell the whole world. Peter Parker cries during sex." 

He sighed. "Just shut up and finish it." he grumbled trying to frown but finding he couldn't. 

Wade growled at him. "Yes sir." he laughed at the salute. 

He wasn't sure what his first time would feel like, but he didn't think he would be laughing and crying out within the same breath. He shifted his leg higher and Wade drove deeper and the world blinked out. "Do that again," he rasped. Wade gnawed at his lip and did.   
\- -  
"Why did we wait so long?" he asked between a sloppy kiss and catching his breath. 

Wade shrugged. "Because you're evil.” 

He chuckled. "Not as evil as you. I can feel that." 

Wade laughed, and it was so light. So much more than it had been less than a day ago. "We're young and need to make up for lost time." 

He rolled over. "I was hoping you'd say that." 

During the impressive fourth time he didn't know what was him and what was Wade. They were quiet, Wade was mouthing at his collarbone halfheartedly His skin was tender from the marks already circling around his neck. The pace changed speeding some. He tugged at what skin he could. "Happy birthday," Wade said shocking him. He screamed as he came. A couple thrusts later Wade joined him again. He let Wade tug him off their disgustingly filthy bed. Once they settled he followed the finger Wade was using to direct him. 12:03am. He was 18. 

He smiled and curled around Wade. "Didn't you have some plans?" he asked. 

Wade threw the top comforter that always got kicked to the ground over them. "They can wait. We have 23 hours and 6 minutes left." Peter nodded. Wade sighed and yawned. "We shouldn't sleep on the ground." he advised, but made no attempt to move. Wade nodded against his hair. "The couch would be more comfortable." 

He lifted his head. "Only one of us can fit on the couch." Wade's eyes met his and he scrambled to his feet. He grabbed his boxers on the way out the door. 

Wade grabbed him and spun so he was behind him. "No you don't!" he shouted jumping on Wade's back. He wrapped his legs around him and reared back. Wade stumbled and they fell to the ground in a jumbled pile. He pushed himself up and belly flopped onto the couch. After a larger than he expected bounce he wrapped his arms around the cushion. "Missing something?" Wade asked, playful tone getting interrupted by a yawn. 

He looked over and Wade was spinning his boxers around his finger. "I can sleep without them." 

Wade stopped spinning them. "Since when?" 

He frowned. "Shut up. I won fair and square." 

Wade threw them at him. "Jumping me like a spider monkey is not fair and square, bug." he managed to get the fabric over his legs and halfway up before Wade fell over him. He squirmed and hot his boxers up. "You'll get cold. I'm a perfect blanket." He groaned. He didn't know how he hadn't noticed the muscle growing on Wade. The brighter color to his skin, the life taking hold. How had he not noticed. He turned and Wade slid into the gap between him and the back of the couch. 

They barely fit, but Wade’s arms were wrapped around him and he could feel his heartbeat echoing his own in his chest. He closed his eyes. "If this is some terrible dream don't wake me up." he whispered against Wade’s elbow.  
\- -  
It was difficult but somehow Wade managed not to wake Peter up when he slid out from behind him feeling stiff but happy from the way they had slept through the night. The sun was half way up and the clock told him that it was almost noon so he figured that he had a couple hours until Peter actually woke up. The apartment was a wreck, and even though he didn't mind he knew that it would drive Peter crazy if he woke up to the mess so he resigned himself to the chore with a heavy heart. He showered quickly pulling on his favorite jeans and the shirt Peter got him when he went to some nerd convention with Gwen that said "Hitler's world tour." with all the locations he visited during the Holocaust. Then he made himself tidy up. He started by peeling off their ruined sheets and dumped them in the crummy washed that they had in the kitchen. He thought it might be just loud enough to wake Peter up but unfortunately he stayed asleep while he moved through the kitchen. He couldn't make much, most of the time Peter and him just ordered in seeing how they could burn water without turning on the stove. But he managed to make eggs and bacon that Peter wouldn't eat and just barely burnt toast and piled it high on a plate before dumping it on the coffee table in front of him. Peter groaned and pushed himself up on his elbows. "What it that?" He asked in a very sexy grumbly voice that had him smirking. 

"It's breakfast. You act like I never cook for you." He told him acting hurt while Peter pushed himself up. 

"The last time you tried to cook we had to call the fire department." he reminded him.

Wade shrugged, "Just eat." he told him leaning over the table to kiss him on his adorable sleepy face. "Happy birthday baby." he told him giving him another quick kiss before pushing back leaving Peter looking much happier than he had before.   
\- -  
"Where are we going?" Peter pouted when he took another turn around. 

His stupid GPS kept telling him that it was rerouting so he gave up and decided that he would find it himself. "Just hold on." He told him for the fifth time and turned off his fourth exit and turned left three times until they made it to the entrance of the zoo. 

"Are you serious?" Peter asked but when he looked over at him he was smiling from ear to ear. 

Wade shrugged trying to seem like it wasn't a big deal because it wasn't but he had spent hours trying to think of a place to take him until he finally relented and called him mom who told him that he loved the zoo when he was younger. "Just seemed like a good place." he told him.

Peter kissed his cheek. "I'm so fond of you." he told him making Wade laugh as he pulled into a parking spot.

"Did you know... Fish have gills?" Peter snickered. They had been making up the lamest facts about each animal. 'Did you know Giraffes have long necks? Lions use Pantene? Rhinos are unicorns on steroids?" Normal facts. He stared at the fish swimming around just inches from him. They were alone in one of the only air conditioned rooms at the zoo. Wade wrapped his arms around his waist and propped his head on his shoulder. "This was a great idea," he said softly letting his fingers curling over Wade’s. Wade hummed against his neck. A bug eyed fish swam to the window and away lazily. He sighed as he watched them move in the water. He jerked when fingers slid into his pants. "What are you doing?" 

Wade chuckled darkly. "The fish want a show. They begged me with their little gill mouths." 

He looked to the door and whimpered. "Their mouths aren't gills." he said weakly. The fish danced around them. He pressed his face to the cool glass and tried to be quiet.   
Wade knew him too well. Months of perfecting the only thing they stupidly had done working in his pants. "But they can talk out of gills?" Wade asked. 

The cold air hit him as Wade pulled him free of his boxers. "Noooo," he breathed. 

"Fish talk out of their gills Peter. Don't lie to me." He let out a squeak and came. Wade laughing as he did. 

"Omg. I hate you." he stared at the mess he'd made on the wall of glass. 

"Don't lie." Wade said with a smile. He zipped his pants back up. 

As he passed Wade to get towels to clean up, he palmed him and leaned in close. "Have fun walking around with that all day." He brushed up against Wade as often as he could. Loving the grumbles and heated gasps. The sex in the car when Wade finally declared that it was time to leave was fast and hot. He stuck to the leather seats when he tried to pull up so they could leave. 

"I love this place." 

Wade rolled his eyes. "I know that." He stuck his tongue out and ran around the store. Wade followed. 

"Do you want some candy?" he asked eyeing the pez dispenser wall. 

Wade shrugged, distracted by a tee shirt across the room. "Pez isn't candy babe." he mumbled finally ditching him to go explore. 

He watched him go with a smile. He turned back and the guy next to him was giving him a strange look. "Pez is candy. He's crazy right?" the guy frowned at him and turned away. He rolled his eyes. "Hey babe. This one's bigger than your dick." He called viciously. 

The guy went pale and he waved a dispenser at Wade who was staring at him in shock. He saw Wade’s eyes drift over to the guy and narrow. "What are you looking at?" He pulled Wade down to inspect the stupid dispenser. "I feel insulted. Do I need to remind you how-" he cut wade off. 

"No. I remember." he felt his face heat up. Wade chuckled and kissed his temple. "Should I get this one or that one?" He pulled Wade’s arm over his and looked to the shirts. Douchebag ignored. 

Dinner at his favorite pizza place. Dessert at his least favorite. Wade dragged him in saying it couldn't all be about him. He ended up with chocolate on his neck and Wade magnanimously licked it off. He watched Wade finish the rest of the bowl while the sun slowly set. "What did you get me for my birthday?" he asked. 

Wade glanced up tongue curled around the spoon. "You said I already gave you the best gift." 

He smiled. "True. But I want more. Gimme." Wade paid and they headed back home. 

"So the card... I still mean it. Just..." Wade shoved the box at him. Card taped to the top under a really awful handmade bow. He opened the card just so Wade would stop staring at him like that. -Happy birthday bug. Here's to another year. Another day. Another second with you. I can't give you much. But I'm giving you the only thing that matters. The rest of my life. It's yours. However long that may be.- 

He felt his chin tremble and discarded the box to climb into Wade’s lap. "I am so fond of you." he whispered grabbing the short spikes of hair and kissing him. "I love you." He added. Wade repeated it back. They didn't move to do anything but kiss and hold onto the seconds stretching into hours and days before them. 

"Your gift," Wade said a few minutes later. He opened the box and laughed. 

It was a homemade frame. It even had macaroni on it. Inside was a picture of them with Ozzie. They were laughing on the bed as the dog licked them. -Peter and Wade being fond since- he could barely make out the date. "You didn't plan that out at all did you?" He asked pointing to the rushed letters. 

"Shut up." Peter hopped up and put it on the shelf next to Wade’s collection of throwing knives he never touched. 

The rest of his birthday went by with his favorite movie and slow kisses. He fell asleep on Wade’s chest the steady beat of his heart lulling him to sleep.   
\- -  
"Do you think Ozzie is invincible?" he asked watching as their pug stole a Frisbee from a mastiff. Harriet took it from him and pranced off. 

Wade shook his head, he could feel it in his hair where his chin was resting. He had his arms propped on Wade’s legs as they sat on the picnic table in the dog park. "Fearless, not invincible." 

He nodded and tossed the ball Fiddle had just brought back. He ran off and ran around the park with his ball before bringing it back. "That's your dog." He mumbled throwing it again only for him to continue to run off. 

"You're just jealous he loves me more than you." 

Ozzie plopped down as his feet tired of running around already. Harriet was across the park sniffing a tree. Fiddle was trotting along down the sidewalk looking too happy. "This is the life." He said grabbing the slobber covered ball and throwing it. He wiped his hand off on Wade’s jeans.   
\- -  
Everything was clear. "We should frame this." He grinned with his arm winding around Peter’s waist pulling him in so they could both look at his clear scan. "You’re always talking about wanting more art in the apartment." 

Peter scoffed, "I'm not sure if your brain qualifies as art." He told him with a kiss on the temple when Dr. Parker came in. 

"Just like I thought, everything is clear." He shook his head, the biggest smile he'd ever seen on the man breaking out across his face. "I don't know what to say accept it's a miracle." 

Wade shook his head. "I don't believe in Miracles doc." He told him. "But I do believe in good doctors." He had to clear his throat to keep it from knotting up as he got up and gave Dr. Parker his first hug. "Thank you."  
\- -  
"I can't open it." He whined pushing the letter at Peter who looked just about exasperated after watching Wade almost open it for half an hour. 

"Babe!" Peter groaned.

Wade rubbed at his face. "I didn't get in." He told him. He could feel it. "How could I get in? I barely got out of high school." He was pacing now, but Peter stepped in front of him and grabbed his shoulders. 

"You are brilliant." He told him.

Wade just frown. "I have a GED." 

"You beat cancer." Peter pointed out. 

"I wrote a shit essay." 

Peter rolled his eyes to the ceiling and sighed, "Wade!" He made a face and kissed his boyfriend before ducking behind him and wrapping his arm around his shoulders, burying his face in his neck. 

"Alright. Do it." He told him listening to the sound of the envelope ripping open and the paper folding out. Peter was quiet for a few minutes and he peaked his eyes open just as Peter walked out of his hug and turned on him with a frown. Wades heart dropped. "I knew it." He shook his head unable to stop his anger at himself. "I even played the cancer card in that sappy as stupid essay-" 

"Wade!" He stopped and looked at Peter who had broken into a mind boggling beautiful grin. 

He blinked at him and then took the letter that he was holding out to him. He read the first sentence five times. "I got-" 

"in!" Peter finished throwing himself at him. "You got in!" Peter kissed literally every piece of skin on his face as he read the rest of the letter. 

"Holy crap." He laughed breathlessly picking Peter up off the ground. 

"We have to tell my parents." Peter breathed out between kisses. 

"Later." Wade told him carrying him to their bedroom.  
\- -  
The airport was packed when they got their making them both more miserable than even the early hour had. It took two hours to get through security and grab their tickets after checking their bags, and after that they had some 30 minutes to wait before they were allowed to board. "Coffee." Peter told him with half lidded eyes, leaving him to sit while he went off toward starbucks. Wade cat called after him grinning when Peter flicked him off. 

Wade pulled out some book the Peters mom had given him for Christmas and took out his book mark when a tall blond girl plopped down next to him. "Where are you headed too?" She asked batting her lashes at him and tried very hard not to raise his eyebrows at her. 

"Italy." He told her, "With my boyfriend." He almost laughed at how quickly she turned away. Peter was back a minute later shoving a hot cup into his hand. "You shouldn't have." He muttered lifting the armrest and letting Peter lean into him. 

"I know. It was like five bucks." Wade laughed and kissed the top of his head.  
\- -  
Everything was perfect. Even when neither of them knew what anyone around them was saying it was just perfect. They didn't leave their room the first day. They made out, watched Italian game shows, and found out that while sex hadn't really changed doing it overseas was definitely better. 

"I don't know why you are so fascinated by those three columns." Wade said against his neck. Peter shrugged and took another photo. "There is a naked lady way down there."   
He scoffed. "Fine. Show me this naked lady." They made their way through the forum and out to look over the coliseum. "That's a naked lady," he said. Wade laughed. They took touristy photos. They ate spaghetti and pizza. Drank €5 cokes. Sat outside the pantheon and ate gelato. Wade picked every pistachio out of his cone. He watched him with a huge smile. 

"I don't like the nuts," Wade said when he noticed him trying not to laugh. They walked through Rome and found the Trevi fountain. A tower to some emperor. The Spanish steps. He didn't know that's what they had seen until they were back home and his mom oohed over the photo. Wade had photo bombed five pictures that day. "I've never walked so much in my life," Wade said as they sat on a wall outside the Vatican. It was late. The moon had made the Tiber look mesmerizing as they had walked along it. He had taken pictures until his camera died and his phone was almost dead. He saved the last few percentages for any breathtaking ones they might get on their way back. They sat on the edge of the square and just rested. "I love you." 

He smiled. "I love you too." he leaned against Wade and sighed. He'd never felt this relaxed. He didn't think he would ever again.

While the rest of their trip was amazing nothing topped those first few days. He missed their bed. Their dogs. And he missed staying in bed all day. Wade seemed excited though as they toured every city they came upon. "I'm looking forward to tomorrow," Wade murmured against the back of his neck. 

Peter smiled. "A long flight that starts way too early in the morning?" 

Wade nipped at him. "Going home with you." 

He smiled and turned to kiss him. "Damn. I was hoping to lose you in an airport." He laughed too loud when Wade squeezed his knee. They wrestled until the reminder on his phone went off and they only had 8 hours until they had to be at the airport.   
\- -  
"What?" Wade asked. 

He blinked. "oh nothing." 

A smirk rose on his face in the mirror. "You were spacing out. What were you thinking about?" Peter shrugged. Wade finished brushing his teeth and launched himself onto the bed. "You're lying." He didn't answer and Wade gave up. He hadn't been spacing out. He'd been staring. Over the past month Wade had changed. Wade had always been taller than him. But now he looked it. He felt small when Wade snuck up on him and wrapped his arms around him. Because the arms wrapping around him had grown. He lost himself in the movement of the muscles on Wade’s back as he brushed his teeth almost every night. He was starting to look like the guys that beat him up from he was in school and before he had learned when to shut his smart mouth. Wade was still Wade. But the way people looked at them had changed. And he didn't know if it bothered him or not. He didn't know what he thought. All he knew was he loved falling asleep with Wade wrapped around him completely. The rest he'd get over.   
\- -  
Eddie elbowed him. "How do you not get jealous?" 

Peter looked where Eddie was pointing across the food court. "I do. But I trust him." He shrugged. His chest felt tight as he watched Wade dismiss another girl. That was five since they had sat down. One had even leaned over their table while they were talking. 

"Does he know it bothers you?" 

He shrugged. "There isn't anything he can do. It's not like he's approaching them." 

Eddie stared at him as he stared at Wade. "You should go stake your claim." 

He laughed. "No. He's not..." He shook his head with a laugh. 

"I'll do it then." 

He grabbed Eddie and pushed him back down. "No. Just." He sighed and pushed off. 

Wade was staring at the condiments as he walked up. He could practically hear the debate going on as he tried to pick which taco sauce. "I have a boyfriend." Wade said before he even got close to him. 

"Is he as hot as me?" he asked. 

Wade looked up. "Eh. He's ok. You however." Wade gave a low whistle and he laughed. He grabbed Wade’s hand and leaned against him as he went back to deciding. He looked over to Eddie who was cracking up. He flicked him off and grabbed his own sauce because he knew Wade would forget to get any for anyone else.  
\- -  
"Why do I even have to take math?" Wade complained laying his book open on the top of his head and holding it there while he placed his chin on the coffee table to pout. He didn't look a Peter, he knew that he was trying not to laugh at him and he couldn't really say that he blamed him. Wade shouldn't have dropped out of high school. Sure he had finished eventually but he was convinced that they only let him get his diploma because they felt bad that he was dying. "When will I ever use this? I'm just going to end up in a cubical calling people about Viagra for the rest of my life anyway." 

Now Peter laughed and he tilted his head towards the boy. "You won't if we get through college algebra." he told him taking the book from off his head and settling it on the table again. 

"Sure, easy for my genius boyfriend to say." Wade stuck his tongue out at him and smirked. "When did you finish high school? When you were three?" 

Peter elbowed him and Wade grabbed at his sides pulling him down to the floor with him. "Three and a half." Peter told him with looking up at him with a smirk. "If you're going to pout and feel bad for yourself then do it factually." 

Wade laughed at him and slung his arm onto the coffee table aimlessly until he found his note book and pulled it down, "Explain this to me again?" he asked pulling Peter up to lay on his shoulder while they looked at the paper again.   
\- -  
"Babe!" Wade called from the entry way, hanging his car keys on the hook on the wall. It had been a long day at work. The pound had gotten four new strays and if they went much further over their capacity then the owner was going to start to euthanize the dogs. All that Wade wanted was to curl up in Peter and gripe about it but he wasn't answering. "I'm back." he called after there was no answer and frown. He knew that he was still here, his car was outside in the lot and his bag was on the floor next to the couch. 

He frowned and walked through the apartment, stopping when he realized that Peter had fallen asleep at his desk, a picture of them in Italy open on his editing board. He grinned remembering the moment. They had given his camera to an artist by the Spanish steps and he had told them that their parents would love it so to freak him out, Wade pulled Pete in for a kiss at the last second. He loved the picture. He was grinning and Peter looked surprised and delighted all at once, eyes half open looking at him. He smirked and leaned down, to kiss the top of his head. "Pete." he muttered into his ear, "Wake up Bug." he told him and he rolled over groggily to peak at him. "Come to bed with me." he told him and Peter frown pushing the chair back and holding his arms out. Wade leaned down wrapping his arms around his middle and letting Peter burrow into him, his arms around his neck. When he was out of the chair, Wade tucked one of his arms under his knees and carried him over to bed. He tucked the blankets around him and tried to detach himself but Peter wouldn't let go. "I smell like wet dog." he warned him wanting to take a shower. 

"I don't care." Peter grumbled and he relented climbing under the covers .  
\- -  
Peter dropped the bag onto the counter and Wade grinned up from The Pomeranian that he had been scratching. "You are seriously my favorite human," he told him with an embarrassingly good kiss peering into the grease soaked sack. 

Peter gave him a look of pure disgust as he bit into the chimichanga. "If you keep eating all that grease you won't make it to 40." he warned him.

Wade just laughed. "I beat cancer babe," he reminded with his mouthful, "You really think a little fat is gonna kill me?" 

Peter smirked despite himself. "God, you are disgusting." he told him, but he just shrugged, swallowed and kissed him. 

"You both are!" Jessica, the cute brunette who worked with him just about yelled in their direction when she emerged from the back kennels. She looked like she might bite her lip off. It was glorious.  
\- -  
Logan was in a worse mood than he usually was when he and Eddie pushed their way into the apartment. "What's eating him?" he asked Eddie when Logan walked past him without his normal grunt and sat in the corner of the couch. 

"I got this today." he told him grimly handing him a blue envelope. Wade frown not getting why this little card was the end of the world until he pulled it out and 'IT"S A BOY!' screamed at him through the print picture of Jean and Scott's beaming faces. 

"Fuck," he grumbled going straight to the liquor cabinet. 

"I know." Eddie nodded.  
\- -  
"Helllllooooooooo??" he smiled stupidly jumping up to grab the bags of snacks that he had texted Peter to pick up when he was on his way home before his boyfriend dropped them. 

He set them on the counter and turned, grabbing Peter up around his waist and pulling him off the floor into a kiss. "Are you drunk?" Peter asked him laughing when he finally let him go.

Wade tried to look innocent. "I know not what you mean." making it pretty obvious that he was feeling good and warm. He was such a light weight. A couple shots and a few beers and he was flying high. 

"Hey," Eddie called bringing their attention back to the others, "Friend in pain here." he reminded them of Logan who was watching deftly, nursing his drink. 

"Ah, fuck her man, she made the wrong choice." Wade told him, his arm still around Peter who was pulling things out of their bags, "You should switch to men. Sometimes they surprise you." He grinned kissing Peter behind his ear and laying his head on his shoulder. 

"Not all men are Peter." Eddie told him disgusted.

Wade turned on him with a wink. "You've got that damn right." he told him with a smirk. 

Logan and Eddie left with Eddie slurring words and Logan supporting him on the way to their car. Wade closed the door and Peter watched them go a little glassy eyed from the few drinks that Eddie had pressured him into. "What was all that about?" he asked him when he closed the door, leaning back into it. 

"Logan's evil ex is having a baby." he told him.

Peter grinned a little sexy smile that lit something up inside of him. "Evil ex?" he repeated.

Wade nodded pushing off the door and stalking toward him, "We all have one." he told him off handed.

Peter cocked his head at him, "You have an evil ex?" he asked. Wade nodded pushing the hair up of Peter's forehead. "You've never said anything about him." he said, his voice dimming when Wade's nose trailed over his jaw. 

"Her." he told him with a shrug. "And she sucked, and you never asked so I don't care about her." he kissed Peter on the corner of his mouth but he kept frowning. 

"What was her name?" he asked.

Wade pulled back feeling exasperated, raising a brow at him. "Does it matter?" he asked and Peter shrugged not saying anything. So they were having this conversation. He tried to switch his hormones off and behave, obviously this was going to take a while. He sighed and let go of his boyfriend walking to the fridge. "Her name is Vanessa." he told him pulling a few beers out of the fridge and popping both before handing one to Peter who took it easily, brown eyes bright with excitement at the prospect of a new story. Only their wasn't much story to tell. "We were together in high school then I got sicked and dropped out, we broke up. That's just about it." he offered with a shrug taking a long drink hoping that Peter would just take that and run with it. 

He should have known better though. "Obviously there is more. Or else she wouldn't be evil, right?" he prompted pulling himself up onto the counter, legs swinging a little beat into the cabinet below. He watched Peter watching him until the boy groaned, "Wade," he whined always wanting to know more and he relented, walking over to the counter. 

"Isn't it obvious?" he asked and Peter shook his head. He looked down, leaning his forehead into Peter's chest, watching his hands spread out on the counter on either side of Pete's legs. "She broke up with me because I was sick, bug." he told him with a little frown. "You know, she liked it at first because she wanted something to take care of, like a dog that she could feed with affection and sex and think that she was some kind of god for being able to care about something so weak. But it was too much for her. I had to drop it of high school, it couldn't walk for a while and she decided that she couldn't be my caretaker. I don't blame her." he looked up at Peter who was frowning down at him. "She's not so evil huh?" he asked softly.

Peter ran his hand through Wade still growing hair in a leisurely way that he leaned into. "How could anyone ever give up on you?" he asked and kissed him. He kissed the hell out of him. He kissed any sickness that he had ever had to the side reminding him that he wasn't sick anymore. He wasn't cancer boy, he was Wade, and Peter was super human, lending him his superhero mojo so that he could heal.  
\- -  
Summer passed. Winter slowly crept up on them. Wade marveled at his hair. "I don't need a hat," he shouted as he jumped into the snow. Peter grabbed a hat anyway and tucked it into his jacket as he grabbed the leashes. The dogs hated walking in the snow, but they had been cooped up for long enough. Wade threw loosely packed snow at him as he climbed out of the pile. 

"Put this on," he said chucking the hat at him. 

"It will ruin my hair," Wade whined. 

"I'll fix it when we get home," he said.

Wade clapped before pulling the hat on. "Bribing me with sexytimes. You are dirty," Wade wrapped an arm around him and took two of the leashes. 

"I have been defiled by an evil man. I cannot be blamed." Wade laughed and they walked on. He was glad Ozzie had trouble with the snow and they could lazily walk through the streets.  
\- -  
He gasped in breaths. Wade was chuckling to himself a few inches away. "I did all the work. I don't know why you're huffing and puffing," he accused. 

He let his head fall over. "Shut. Up." it took a few more minutes before he was breathing normally. He ran his fingers through Wade's hair. "Fixed." 

Wade bit his shoulder. "Thanks baby boy." he smiled and closed his eyes.  
\- -  
"Dad?" his dad yawned into the phone. He felt bad for waking him up, but Wade had fallen asleep and it was the only time he had. 

"Hey. What's wrong?" he chuckled feeling unsteady as his dad fully woke up and took in how late it was. 

"Can you run some tests for me tomorrow?" 

"Peter? What's wrong?" 

He let out a shaky breath. "I'm having trouble breathing. Before you ask. I'm taking my meds. I just want this to be my imagination." he knew it wasn't though. He could feel it. Although his dad would tell him that that was his imagination. 

"Yeah. Come in first thing and we'll get you checked out. It'll be ok Pete." he nodded.  
\- -

"This one is kaput too isn't it?" He asked when his dad sat down next to him. 

"It looks like bud." Peter nodded. "You're back on the list. You'll be fine. There is time." 

He nodded again and bit a little harder on his lip. "Do you think you can keep this quiet? I don't want-" 

"You aren't hiding this from him." His dad looked angry that he was even suggesting it. 

"I don't want him to worry." 

"He'll worry. He's already noticed. He cancelled dinner last week because he thought you looked tired." He nodded. "You go home and tell him. Or your mother and I will."   
\- -  
"Guess who passed their final?" Wade called as he shoved through the door. He barely bit back -guess who is going through organ failure?- Wade must have seen it in his face though because the smile dropped off and he carefully sat down next to him on the couch. "What's wrong?" 

Peter looked up and shrugged. "I'm back on the transplant list." it took a second before his own words hit him and he was crying. Wade made a noise and pulled him in. "I'm sorry," he whispered against Wade's shirt. "I'm so sorry."  
\- -  
It was surreal sitting in the waiting room at the hospital. He couldn't remember the last time he had actually been in there besides seeing it in passing on the way to his appointments. But he was there now and he was aggravated. He just didn't understand why he had to wait outside like he was Peter's worried friend or something. He was his boyfriend. They lived together. He knew Pete's body way better than some random ass doctor did and yet he was left to wait our side with Mrs. Dr. Parker While Pete and his dad sat down with the specialist. He hated this. 

He could feel his feet tapping and see the way his legs were jumping off the floor, making it impossible for him to actually read the text book on his lap or even pretend like he was reading it so he decided just not to. He gnawed in his pen cap and stared at the door, feet thumping and gnawing until Mrs. Parker put her hand on his knee and he snapped back to her. "He's going to be fine." she told him with a gentle squeeze and a warm smile like she actually believed it. "Now stop spazzing out, you are scaring the man behind us." He forced his feet to stay on the ground and looked back into his book. He felt like an ass, he should be the one telling her he was going to be okay not the other way around. But he had been too close with sickness for too long to rationalize with himself.

He stood close to Peter when the Dr. started talking medical stuff, paying close attention because he knew that Peter wasn't. He had zoned out, reading the back of Wade's Euro History text because it was better than being told what he wasn't allowed to do until they found him a donor. The Doctor seemed cheery though, promoting the great advanced of modern medicine. But it was hard for Wade not to break down when he said they had 3 to 5 year to get a new one.   
\- -  
"Wade?" 

He was reading one of Dr. Parker's medical journals on the floor, leaning against the couch that Peter was laying on surfing through channels without really watching it. "Hmm?" he hummed at him without looking up until the tv clicked off and he knew what was happening. 

"Do you want to talk about this?" Peter asked and he dogeared the book and set it on the coffee table. 

"Do you?" he asked instead of answering, turning to look at him.

Peter frown when he got a look at his face. "I'm going to be fine." he told him, but he didn't really believe that, not like his mom had earlier. 

"You don't know that." Wade told him, hating how scared he was by how true a statement fell off his lips. "Anything can happen Pete, bodies are weird, they don't know when the right time to die is." 

"Well, lighten up cause I'm not going to die." Peter told him forcing a smile that was enough to break Wade's heart. He could feel his chest tighten and his throat knot. 

His eyes brimming with tears that he refused to let go. "You better not." He told him, pushing up onto his knees so he could look down on him. "If you die on me, Parker, I will never forgive you- got that?" he demanded stealing a kiss, that put a genuine Peter smile on his beautiful face. 

"Forgive me for what?" he asked ruefully, "Leaving you with a hoard of wolves to look after?" he teased.

Wade shook his head. It took him a minute to say it, he had to take a deep breath so it could push out the lump that was keeping his words in. "For making me love you." he said finally. And then all the teasing was gone and he was kissing him because he need too.  
\- -  
He pulled himself to his feet and Wade sat up suddenly. "Where you going?" he slurred still asleep even as he tried to get to his feet. 

"I'm hungry. I'm gonna make breakfast." He yawned. Wade grumbled under his breath as he pushed off the covers. "What are you doing? Go back to sleep." Wade ignored him and grabbed his arm. He sighed and they made breakfast together.  
\- -  
"I'm so tired, babe. What did you want to tell me?" He dropped a kiss on Wade's shoulder as he leaned over their couch. His bag clattered to the ground as he let go. He'd clean it up in the morning.  
"Go to bed. I just wanted to tell you about this dog we got in today." 

He pushed himself up and rubbed Wade's hair. "Let me shower? Then you can tell me." 

Wade turned to look up at him. "Just go to sleep. You look beat." 

He smiled crookedly. "Thanks babe. I'll just fall asleep on you. You're the best pillow anyway." He took his meds after he got out of the shower. "Scooch." Wade shifted over and he curled onto the other cushion resting his head in Wade’s lap. "Was he abandoned?" 

Wade shook his head and kissed his forehead before leaning back and talking. Running his fingers through his hair as he did. "A family was moving and couldn't take him." He didn't know what was worse. "You'd love him." 

Peter sighed. He didn't have the energy to give the we can't have another dog lecture. "If you do I will." he replied. 

Wade went on and he drifted in and out. "I'm gonna move you." 

He felt himself being lifted and held on. "I love that you can carry me. My hero," he said with a sigh as he nuzzled his neck. Wade chuckled and the vibrations pulled him back under.  
\- -  
"How you doing?' Eddie asked when Wade dragged Logan off to make new drinks. 

"As good as you'd expect." Eddie paused the game. He didn't say anything and the silence stretched. "I'm ok." he said just to break the silence. 

"Ok." Eddie replied. 

"I am." 

Eddie nodded. "I believe you." 

He blinked and his chest clenched. "Wade doesn't. He won't let me do anything. He acts like I'm going to die any second. Did I do that to him?" He heard the thickness of tears in his voice. He rubbed at his eyes and Eddie made a sound of reply, but Wade and Logan were coming back down the hall. The game unpaused and he picked up the controller. Eddie shot him a look as they went back to playing. He smiled up at Wade as he scooted past him to sit down. "Thanks." he said when Wade told him he'd whipped up his favorite smoothie. 

"Anything for you." He looked up at the blue eyes smiling at him for a second before settling against Wade and going back to the game. He felt like shit for complaining now.   
\- -  
Peter was mad at him. Wade could feel it but he was avoiding actually asking him what was wrong. Mostly because he wasn't sure what he was doing to piss him off and that meant that it was something pretty bad. Wade was the first to admit that he enjoyed pissing people off, Peter most of all- that being said he had always been good at pinpointing exactly what he did that pushed it too far. But this time he couldn't see it, that's how he knew it was bad. So he tiptoed around it. "Careful Bug," he told him taking the box of groceries out of his hands before he could even get it out of the trunk and kissed him on the cheek. "Don't want you to over do it." He grinned at him but Peter met him with a glare that wiped it off his face. "Pete?" He started but the boy shook his head and grumbled, "Forget it." and headed inside. 

He knocked on the bedroom door but Peter barely glanced up from his laptop to acknowledge him so he crossed his arms and leaned in the doorway. "You want to talk about it?" he asked. 

"About what?" Peter asked obviously annoyed. 

"About what I did to piss you off?" he offered but Peter didn't say anything. Wade sighed. "If you don't tell me I can't fix anything." he told him getting annoyed himself now. 

"That's the problem," Peter shot back at him. "You keep trying to fix everything." 

Wade frown, "I don't get-" 

"I know." Peter cut him off finally looking up from his damn computer, "I know you don't get it and that's what is killing me. When you were sick I still let you live your life but you aren't letting me keep mine. You keep thinking everything is going to break me and maybe one day it will but right now I'm fine. Let me be fine and give me some space! Stop trying to smother me to dea-..." He stopped there seeming to lose his wind when he realized that he had been yelling at him. 

They were quiet for a minute as Wade chewed that over until finally he nodded. "You need space. Awesome." He muttered and left the room grabbing his jacket. 

"Wade," he whined frustrated following him out of the room, "Look that's not what I meant." 

"What did you mean Pete?" he asked turning to look at him, hand on the door knob. Peter just stared at him and Wade sighed leaning in to kiss his forehead, "I'll be back in a couple hours. If you want to talk we can talk, if you don't then I'll stay with Eddie tonight." He fought the urge to remind him to take his pill and didn't look back as he closed the door. This sucked. 

"Why are you so moody?" Eddie asked throwing a chip at his face as he kicked his ass again at mortal combat. He really just wanted to hit stuff. He figured that making CGI characters hit stuff for him was the best option. 

He hated fighting with Peter. They fought a lot but mostly it was just healthy couple stuff, like when Peter got mad at him for letting the trash get too full or when Peter turned all of his white shirts pink with a new red hat that he had. But this kind of stuff always just kind of left him with a big pit in his gut because he knew that once he got home the fight would unpause and he didn't want Peter to not want him around. "Am I overbearing?" he asked Eddie, pausing the game. 

The blond raised a brow at him and asked, "How so?" through a handful of chips he had shoved into his mouth. 

"With Peter." he explained, "He told me I was smothering him and he needed space. Am I that bad?" 

"Honestly?" Eddie asked looking a little unsure. 

"No, lie to me asshole." he deadpanned earning a few more chips in the face.

"Well, yeah dude. I mean did he baby you that much when you were sick?" He asked.

Wade frown really thinking about it. "No..." he admitted after a minute and Eddie threw another chip at him, this time he stole the bag. "God, I'm an ass." he groaned.

Eddie just laughed, "yeah, but you're an ass cause you care. Just lay off him man. He loves you, he'll forgive you." He unpaused the game and delivered the final blow that took the rest of Eddie's life causing him to curse and throw his controller. 

"Suck it." he grinned throwing the controller to him as he grabbed his stuff to head back home. 

Peter was in the living room, feet up on the coffee table, the horde that was their dogs all cuddled into him like a living blanket. He sat up when Wade came in and clicked off the TV, Ozzy yipping and running up to him to try and climb up his leg but he missed and just kind of pranced around for a few seconds before Wade picked him up. "So Eddie told me I'm an asshole." he told Peter casually, peaking off his jacket and stepping out of his shoes. He walked over to the couch and fell down next to Peter, the dogs moving to accommodate him but he didn't put his arm around him like he wanted too. He leaned against the arm off the couch giving him room to think about what he wanted to say, tucking his feet up in the space between him. Fiddle nosed at him and he scratched his ear. 

"He always calls you an ass." Peter pointed out.

Wade nodded, "True. But this time he meant it." He looked up from Ozzy, "I'm an asshole aren't I?" He asked.

Peter pursed his lips. "Yeah." 

He nodded again. "You know that I don't mean to be right?" he asked.

Peter smiled just enough for him to grin back, "Yeah." he said again and shooed the dogs off of him so that he could crawl up between Wade’s legs. 

Wade set Ozzy on the ground. "You know I love you." Wade muttered. 

"Yeah." 

"You know you are the strongest person I know." 

Peter grinned, "Yeah." 

Wade grinned right back pulling him in for a rough kiss. "You know you are carrying all the heavy boxes from now on." He told him a little breathless, earning a good punch in his side and he laughed until Peter was kissing him again.  
\- -  
His three years turned into three months. He watched Wade second guess his every action for a week before giving in, but he felt bad enough that it felt nice. "This sucks. I forgot how much jello sucks." 

Wade sat down on the edge of the bed. "You liked it enough to bring me a tray." 

He laughed softly. "That wasn't for you. That was for everyone else." 

Wade stole the cup out of his hands. "Lies and slander. You loved me even then." 

He shrugged. "Yeah babe. I probably did. You're pretty hard not to love." 

Wade got quieter and quieter as the days passed and he didn't get better. His jokes left hanging in favor of a small smile and a kiss on his knuckles. "Time to go babe. Got work in the morning and Ozzie is going to kick your ass if you don't walk him." 

Wade frowned. "Ok. I'll see you in the morning." 

Peter shook his head. "After work. You'll be late if you stop by. I'll see you at 5:17." 

Wade smiled first real one he'd gotten all day. "5:17."

The call came 12 days into his hospital stay. "It's a match. You got a match baby boy." He held on as tight as he could as Wade hugged him. "Miracle." He sighed. He knew that Wade didn’t believe in miracles and he was teasing kisses out of him. 

"Nope. I have developed secondary powers and can will organs into existence. Only for those I love though. Can't be making everybody happy." 

Wade grinned at him and pinched his side. "Such a loser."   
\- -  
He was grumpy and his back ached from laying on his back for too long and all he wanted to do was eat his weight in mashed potatoes but all of it rushed out of him when he got a good look at Wade. He looked terrible, all pale and sluggish, dragging his feet as he came through the door and forced out a smile that he knew he actually ment. "Come here. You look beat." Peter told him scooting over. 

Wade crawled into the bed without complaint. "Haven't been sleeping well is all. Not the same without you." he grumbled.

Peter tucked closer to him. "I know. Soon." Tomorrow. But he was impatient too. 

Wade threaded their fingers together, a little smile of content pushing out his dimples. “This is good enough." he told him.  
\- -  
The surgery was scheduled first thing when the kidney arrived but he hadn’t been expecting it to be so soon. He looked at the open door again. "Where's Wade?" He asked when the doctor came in to check over him as they started the anesthesia. He wanted to see him. He wasn’t ready to do this until he got there. What if...

His mom stroked his arm. "He had trouble getting here. He'll be here when you wake up." She told him meaning to pass it off easily but she looked worried. 

"Trouble?" The world started to go fuzzy. 

"He loves you honey." His last thought was that was a strange thing to say as the needs knocked him out.  
\- -  
He woke up and he was in a double room. The bed on his left was empty but the chair next to him was filled with a vision from his past that he’d never wanted to see again. His throat felt thick and his eyes welled up as he looked at the grinning idiot wondering what the hell they had done to deserve this."Your hair. Wade." His voice cracked. 

Wade shrugged from the chair, his old face on. The one that told him that it was okay even though it wasn’t as he played IV pole that was holding the chemo drip he was hooked up to. "Looks like death got mad I wouldn't let her have you." 

He couldn't feel much of anything but everything hurt as Wade smiled. He twitched his fingers and Wade stood. "Just for a few hours more you have that bed to yourself. Doctor made me promise."

Peter shook his head. "No." 

Wade kissed his fingers. "Go back to sleep baby boy. I'll be here when you wake up." He shook his head but obeyed. The medicine made him.   
\- -  
He probably should have realized that this would happen. He’d said it before and he would say it again and again, preaching the good word to anyone that would stand still long enough. He didn’t believe in miracles. It wasn’t anything that they could have caught in time. At least that was what Doctor Parker told him after the ambulance wheeled him in when he couldn’t make himself get off the floor. The tumor acted fast and maliciously and stole every bit of life out of him until what he thought was fatigue, maybe a little worry turned into an all consuming pain in his brain and he was once again that stranger in the mirror with the blue eyes and skin that was trying to kill him. It took a lot to get Peter’s parents not to tell him he was there. “Just not yet. Let him get his surgery and then I’ll tell him.” He promised. And they relented because they knew he would. It was harder though, to spend the night in his own bed knowing that Peter was just down the hall. He wanted to be with him. Every second that he had, he knew that he needed to spend wisely. There wouldn’t be a miracle. He wouldn’t fool himself into thinking that medicine could save him this time. But he wouldn’t wallow in it. He just needed to figure out to he could best prepare Peter for the little time that they had left.

Wade wasn’t sure if he should be there when Peter woke up. His hair had gone, the chemo going through him making him sick enough to leave a gross little sheen of sweat on his skin that was too pale and an IV in his arm. It would be obvious the second that he woke up. And it was. He nearly broke down when Peter croaked his name. This was it. This was the worst of it. This was the moment that they had to accept that he was really dead and there was no hope left in him. But he wouldn’t show that. Peter was still sick and even though he didn’t want to admit it, he needed Wade to be the strong one. And he wanted to be that for as long as he could until his will crumbled. So he just smiled at him and laughed at the horrible irony that was their love story and told him things would be okay. That they were prepared to handle this. 

He made himself comfortable in the empty bed in the room. His new Doctor hadn’t wanted to put him in there, he tried to enforce hospital protocol and keep him out of post op but Dr. Parker insisted enough to get kicked off his service. But at least he got to be with Peter. They came in to check on him, poke at him and try and smile at him but he didn’t pay much attention. They had stopped telling him that there was another treatment they could try. He knew that was pretty much it then. 

Wade was fiddling with the remote in the bed next to him. "What was that show you liked to watch?" Peter felt his heart twisting. "Please don't cry." Wade asked him quietly, trying to keep hold of his resolve.

He turned away. "I'm not crying." His voice squeaked. "I'm just yawning because you're so boring. Making my eyes water." He dared to glance over.

Wade was staring at him. "I'm never boring." Then he was too quiet again. He waited until Wade had fallen asleep to let the sobs out. It wasn't fair. How could this happen? Wade had... He'd fought so hard. He didn't deserve this. 

His doctor was starting to make noises about check out. He knew he'd get the ok to go home in the next couple days and he didn't want that. Wade was getting paler with each passing moment. He didn't want to leave. Wanted to stay right here. "Can I sleep with you tonight?" Wade asked as he fluffed his pillow. 

"Always." He told him, automatically moving over.

Wade pulled his cart over and skid in next to him. "Going to sleep so much better tonight. I know it." 

He nodded ruining his hand over the smoothness of Wade's head. "Me too. Love you. See you in the morning." 

Wade nodded tucking his head in close. "Love you too baby boy." 

He was staring at the ceiling the next morning when the nurses came to check on them. There was a flurry of alarm and then Wade was gone. Dragged from his arms. His doctor checked him out that day and he followed his mom into the house. She set him up on the couch and turned on the tv. He heard an alarmed bark second before the horde descended on him. Ozzie parked himself in his lap and watched tv like nothing had changed. He pet Fiddle and let a little of the shock go.   
\- -  
"Are you sure Peter?" 

He nodded. "Yeah. It's our home. I belong there. I'll call you when we get settled." He held the leashes for the short walk to the car. "We'll be fine. Don't worry." He put on a smile and let Ozzie lead the group. "I know baby. I know."   
\- -  
"Eddie brought me another dog. This is all your doing. Steve is his name apparently. You'd love him. I'll bring him one day when I'm sure he won't pee on you. Ozzie did it on purpose I swear but I'm not taking the chance. Oh yeah. Ozzie is still kicking. That dog will outlive us all." He leaned against the headstone and talked ignoring the scandalized looks old ladies visiting their husbands shot him. "Oh. Jean named her kid Cable. Logan has come up with the best jokes."


End file.
